The Temple of Love
by Sealgirl
Summary: (COMPLETE) Dungeonmaster sends the children to the cursed Temple of Love, in the hope of finding a portal. But there’s something else in the Temple, waiting…
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER:    Characters belonging to someone else (you know who you are), consider yourselves thoroughly disclaimed. Thank you.

CREDITS:   There are lots, all at the end.

STORY:    Set after the events in the story 'Trust in Friendship.'

Events in that story are mentioned, but it is NOT necessary to read Trust in Friendship to understand this story, since it is not a sequel.

RATING:     PG13.

THANKS:    Goes to the people who were fabulous enough to review my other story.

                        Tiamat11: my first reviewer, you really made my day!

                        Karin1: Dragon-sized thanks for your support and praise!****

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                                                        The Temple of Love

Chapter 1

There was silence in Venger's Castle, and the vast, dark rooms were utterly still. No Orc dared move, no Shadow dared waver, until their Master called them. The Arch-Mage himself sat motionless on his Dragon-Throne, staring off into the distance, with a thin smile on his lips.

He had surpassed himself this time. Those children might have defeated him thus far, but could they overcome the weakness of their own emotions?

It had been a long time since he had given any thought to the Temple. Its power was totally corrupted and it's Keeper enslaved, he had seen no further use for it. Until now! Dungeonmaster would not fail to send the children there. The old man was so predictable.

'Shadow Demon!' called Venger.

His dark servant materialised out of the shadows and abased himself on the floor.

'Master! What is they bidding?'

'Go out into the Plain of Desolation,' commanded Venger. 'Seek out the Young Ones, and follow them. Tell me when they have found the Temple, that I may go and collect their weapons.'

Shadow Demon bowed, but instead of leaving, it hovered anxiously.

Venger raised an eyebrow.

'Master, what of the Curse? Are you not subject…'

'Silence!' snapped Venger. 'Do not question me, Shadow Demon. Did I not craft the Curse myself?'

Shadow Demon backed away and flew off out of the nearby window. Venger watched him leave then leaned back on his throne, his smile now wide enough to show his pointed teeth. Those accursed children! Their destruction was assured, this time!

==================

Hank the Ranger let his eyes close briefly, and sighed.

Mud stretched ahead of them in all directions, shrouded in a layer of thin mist that reduced the visibility to a few meters. No trees, no grass, no animals, no people and (of course) no portal. It was bad enough that they had gone into this awful place, but now they were well and truly lost.

'Perhaps we took a wrong turn,' he suggested.

He looked round at the others, all looking filthy and depressed. The two girls, the Acrobat and the Thief, sat either side of the Ranger on a thin piece of plastic that Presto the Magician had managed to pull out of his Hat. Both wore identical expressions of despair. Bobby the Barbarian sat on his Club nearby, with his Viking helmet squint on his head and his chin rested on his hands. The baby unicorn was draped over the Club beside him.

'How could we have done that?' snapped Eric the Cavalier. 'There've been no turns to make wrongly!'

He and the Magician were sitting on the Eric's Shield, trying to keep dry. Both the Cavalier's blue and yellow armour and the Magician's green robes were streaked with mud.

'We've been walking through this misty mud-hole for three days and two nights,' the Cavalier continued, 'with next to no sleep, no food, and no sign of any portal. Dungeonmaster was just making it up!'

Eric ran a gauntleted hand through his hair, leaving a thin residue of mud behind. He gave a low grunt.

'This is the worst place in this whole crazy world!' he said.

Bobby the Barbarian stirred for the first time since he had settled down to sit on his Club. He looked up at the Cavalier with narrowed eyes.

'Worse than the Warlock's Castle?' he asked quietly.

Eric glared back at him, and Hank sighed again, sensing the start of another argument. But this time the Cavalier was content just to scowl.

None of the others spoke, a heavy gloom in the air. Hank poked the mud in front of him with the tip of his golden Bow, unsure what to do next. What choice did they have?

'This is awful,' murmured the red haired Thief beside him. She pulled her Cloak more tightly around her. 'Do you remember the Beholder?'

Hank nodded. The land of the Beholder had been just as barren and depressing, but at least it was dry and had some features, even if they were just dead trees and bushes.

'What are we gonna do, Hank?' asked Diana softly. 'Should we turn back?'

'Dungeonmaster said to come this way,' he said, waiting for the smart remark from Eric. None came. Things were worse than he'd thought if Eric had given up complaining about their guide.

'I wonder if this really is the right place, the Plain of Desolation?' murmured Sheila. 'The Plain of Mud would have been better.'

'Looks desolate enough to me,' replied Eric with a snort.

'Yes, Cavalier,' said a voice beside Hank. 'It is a barren land, and filled with sadness.'

'Dungeonmaster!' said Diana in surprise. The old man bowed.

'Greetings, pupils.' Dungeonmaster stood before them, his hands clasped together, immaculately dressed in red robes stood their guide.

'Hey! How come you don't get covered in mud?' demanded Eric.

'Have you come to help us? Are we in the right place?' asked Sheila.

'That's all we need, more riddles!' said Eric.

Dungeonmaster chose to ignore the Cavalier, and was looking at Sheila.

'This is indeed the Plain of Desolation, Thief,' he said. 'Nothing can live within the sphere of the Cursed Temple of Love.'

The gang exchanged glances.

'Cursed Temple?' asked Hank warily.

'The Temple of Love was once a place of great joy and happiness,' replied Dungeonmaster, 'a place where all good people could go to find shelter and hope for the future. But its power has been turned. Instead of giving, now it takes way. The Temple is alive, feeding on the emotions of those to pass nearby. No one dare go there now.' Dungeonmaster looked extraordinarily sad. 'It's great halls lie empty and cold. And there are no others left, who remember.'

'Why do we want to go there then?' asked Eric, crossing his arms. 'No, wait! Let me guess! There's a portal there.'

Dungeonmaster nodded.

'There is indeed a way to your home at the Heart of the Temple, if you are willing to take it. You must hold on to hope to live your dreams. But be very careful inside the Temple. Do not tempt the Curse with too much emotion, or you will awaken something much more powerful. And you must all stay together'

Dungeonmaster turned and looked directly at Hank.

'You must not let any of them wander alone.'

'Why?' asked the Ranger, suddenly worried.

'Is it dangerous, Dungeonmaster?' asked Sheila.

'And how do we find it?' added Hank.

'You will lead them, Ranger,' said Dungeonmaster with a bow.

The group looked at each other.

'The Temple of Love,' said Presto. 'That doesn't sound so bad.'

'What do we do when…?' stared Diana. 'He's gone!'

There was an audible sigh from the Cavalier.

'So what's new!' he said, whacking the edge of his Shield, and sending small splats of mud over Presto.

'This place gives me the creeps,' said Sheila. 'Can we go? Hank?'

Hank shrugged awkwardly, not really listening. Dungeonmaster's riddle had made him anxious. Dungeonmaster's riddles always made him anxious, but this time their old guide had been particularly disconcerting. He looked at Sheila as she sat looking up at him, and smiled. What would he do without her?

'C'mon guys,' he said suddenly. 'We'll never find this Temple place if we sit around here.'

Grumbling, the rest of the gang stood up, gathering their few possessions. Bobby and Eric took care to avoid each other. Uni gave a single, miserable bray as she stood up to her tummy in mud. Bobby reached down to pick her up, holding her under one arm.

Presto headed off first. Diana the Acrobat waited for the Cavalier to shake some of the mud off his Shield, and they followed Presto together. Sheila fell into step beside Hank, then suddenly looked round. Bobby hadn't followed them. Sheila watched the Barbarian for a few seconds then stopped to wait, letting Hank walk on alone.

The Ranger sighed inwardly. Cursed Temples were not their only problem in this swamp. Hank had over heard the Barbarian and Sheila talking a few days ago.

Bobby had sounded desperate. He was too young to be separated from his family like this. And his sister had found no way to comfort him.

Their experience with the Warlock had affected Bobby more than the Ranger had guessed. He was still bitter and angry that another portal had closed, needing someone to blame. And their Cavalier had been a convenient scapegoat.

Sheila had started to explain again, but Bobby wasn't interested. There was no excuse, in the Barbarian's mind, for getting them into such trouble in the first place. The Cavalier should have 'wished' them home when he'd had the chance. It was simple.

The bickering and arguments were pulling them apart. _If only we could get home quickly_, thought the Ranger. _We have to get home this time! We have to get home!_

The words repeated over and over like a prayer in his mind, lulling Hank into a stupor. The monotony of the mud was beginning to play tricks on his mind. He stumbled, and looked around anxiously, suddenly realising he had lost track of what was happening around him. Where were the others?

Eric was obvious to see, the bright armour stood out from all the mud. Diana was only noticeable by her golden jewellery, her dark skin and brown furs blending into their surroundings. Presto's green robes were got more difficult to see the further he got ahead.

Hank stopped and turned. Bobby, Uni and Sheila were only a few steps behind him.

'What's wrong Hank?'

Hank frowned.

'I'm not sure.' There was a sudden feeling of dread inside him. 'I think…'

'Hey! Guys!' he called suddenly, waving at the three ahead of him. 'Guys! Stop!'

The Acrobat, Cavalier and Magician all stopped and looked back at him. With no warning, a soft breeze blew up, making the mists swirl. Slowly, directly to their right, a large, dark building took shape. The mist cleared completely within a minute, and the Temple of Love stood before them in all its glory.

Hank was immediately reminded of the City of Darkhaven, they both had the same brooding presence. But he would never have guessed that a single building would take up so much space. It was huge!

Like a caricature of a fairytale castle, its front walls rose steeply for many storeys, turrets visible above the ramparts. There were more towers and battlements that swept off to both sides, the walls continuing round into the mist, almost as if they never stopped. And it was black, darker than the sky at night, with no lights behind any of its thousands of windows.

Right in front of them, about ten meters away, was a single, silver door.

'Looks like we found it then,' said Presto.

'It's a bit difficult to miss!' said Eric.

'You were about to walk straight past it!' said the Barbarian. His sister tugged his arm, and frowned.

'How are we ever going to find a portal in there?' she said with a sigh.

'Relax, Sheila!' replied Eric flippantly. 'All we have to do is hold on to hope, be very careful and stay together. It's easy, right Hank!'

Hank made no reply. Going inside was a bad idea, he could tell. Nothing in this place was ever easy.

The others had started towards the door, and he wanted to shout out, to tell them to stop, but he didn't. A portal was inside, a way home.

_We have to get home this time!_

That thought drowned his anxiety out and he followed his friends forward.

On the door some words had been etched into the silver, just above the gilt handles:

_In the Temple of Love: Shine like lightning._

_In the Temple of Love: Cry like rain._

_In the Temple of Love: Hear the calling._

_In the Temple of Love: Know my name._

Presto looked round at Hank, with one eyebrow raised.

'What do you suppose THAT means?'

'I don't know,' said Hank, the feelings of dread returning more intensely, 'but I don't think we want to find out.'

Eric reached out for the door's handle and pulled gingerly. The silver door swung outward smoothly, without a single creak, and there was no noise from inside. A waft of dusty air floated out.

The gang looked round at the Ranger. He smiled with a confidence he didn't feel.

'Let's go guys!' he said. 'Let's find the portal and blow this place!'

Hank stepped inside first, his hand reaching across the Bow to pull a glowing arrow. Even that didn't shed much light in the suffocating gloom of the Temple. He heard the others follow him. A small puddle of light leaked in from outside, just enough to make out a grey, flagstone floor.

'This is darker than the Tower of Darkness!' said Bobby quietly.

Hank loosed his arrow, sending it up towards the roof. It formed a glowing ball, light filling the room for a few seconds, long enough for Hank to see sheer, grey walls, and a few dark doorways.

'Maybe they forgot to pay the electricity bill?' suggested Eric.

Presto pulled his muddy Hat off and gave the group a big smile.

'No problem guys, I'll have the lights on in no time!'

'Hat of many wondrous items,

give us light, this room to brighten!'

There was the briefest of pauses, then the Hat glowed and spat a small orb the size of an orange into Presto's hand. The light that flickered in its centre was no brighter than a match.

'Give me a break, Presto!' exclaimed Eric. 'That thing wouldn't even light a cigar!'

The Cavalier looked round impatiently.

'I wonder if there's a switch,' he muttered.

The orb in Presto's hand flared into life, so abruptly that he dropped it in surprise. It broke in half, and the bright ooze inside leaked into the cracks in the floor.

'Presto!'

'Sorry, Eric,' the Magician began, 'I didn't …'

As the Magician was speaking, all the lanterns in the room flicked on, one by one. They watched in silence as light spread across the entrance hall, bathing the room in a sterile glow.

'Way to go, Presto!' said Diana, giving him a playful thump on the back. Even Eric smiled at the Magician.

Hank looked round cautiously. The hall was relatively narrow, much smaller than he'd thought from the outside. Numerous grey doors lead off, deeper into the Temple. Then he looked up and gave a soft whistle. The dark grey walls stretched upwards, high into a gloom that light could not penetrate, giving the impression that the walls never stopped, and that there was no ceiling. His heart sank. They were never going to find a portal in this place. It was too big.

Eric pulled a sarcastic face.

'Lovely, and just my colour scheme, too! I like the greys.'

'Do you think the lights are on in the rest of this place?' asked Sheila.

'One way to find out!' said Bobby eagerly. 'Let's go!'

They picked a door at random, and Hank pulled it open. Behind the door was a brightly lit passageway, with dark grey walls and a soft carpet, as colourless as the main hall. Hank looked up and gave a quiet sigh of relief. At least this room had a ceiling.

Eric was looked back across the entrance hall and said suddenly:

'Perhaps we should split up. There's a lot of Temple to search. What do you…'

'No!' snapped Hank, much more sharply than he'd meant. 'No. We stick together. Remember what Dungeonmaster said.'

Eric shrugged, looking embarrassed.

Hank felt a twinge of guilt. The Cavalier was having a hard enough time without the Ranger snapping at him too. As Eric walked past, Hank said to him:

'Why don't you pick the next door instead?'

Eric gave a small smile and nodded, 'Just as long as we don't get lost,' said Eric. 'I would hate to end up stuck in here.'

The door swung shut behind them.

Hank's hope that they would find the portal quickly was soon dashed. They explored slowly, each room subtlety different from the ones before, different shapes, different sizes, the occasional broken mosaic on the floor, the odd picture on the wall. In past days they would have been glorious, tastefully coordinated and a pleasure on the eye. But all the colours had faded to different shades of grey. The lack of colour was unnerving. The Ranger kept looking at his friends. Was it his imagination, or was the colour of their clothes fading too?

The hours passed in a grey haze, and they hadn't seen the faintest sign of a portal.

Each room started to look the same to Hank, their subtle differences ignored or forgotten, almost as if his brain had forgotten how to function. The others obviously felt the same. Any sporadic attempts at conversation now petered out within a few words.

Finally, they came to another narrow hallway, darker and greyer than the other rooms, and suddenly Presto sat down on the floor.

'This is hopeless,' he said flatly. 'There's no portal.'

He looked up at Hank, his eyes wide, waiting for comforting words. The others were looking at him too. The Ranger felt a sudden flame of anger. Why was it always him that had to be strong? Why was it always him who never gave up? This time he couldn't think of anything to say. He looked round at his friends, each one with the same expression of despair, the expression he knew he had as well. Only Sheila met his gaze, and his heart gave a tiny lurch.

Dungeonmaster's words suddenly popped into his mind. _You must hold on to hope to live your dreams._ Dungeonmaster had warned them. It was this place. It was the Curse, sucking out their good, happy emotions, and it had taken their hope: the hope that they would one day get home.

'You must hold on to hope to live your dreams,' he said out loud, the words sounding very distant. But Sheila smiled at him. At that moment, it was the most wonderful sight he had ever seen.

'We have to hope, guys,' she said, her voice growing in strength as she spoke. 'We can't give up.'

The Thief knelt beside Presto, and put her arm round his shoulders.

'You want to go home, don't you?' she asked. 'You don't want to stay here?'

Presto gave a thin smile.

'No way,' he said slowly, as if waking from a deep sleep. 'There's no pizza!'

There was a quiet laugh from Diana.

'No TV either!' she said.

'And the décor's so boring,' added Eric. 'Not your style at all.'

They looked around at each other. Hank gave a grim smile.

'The portal has to be around here somewhere,' he said firmly. 'We have to keep going.'

Eric reached down and helped Presto stand.

'Let's go!' said the Cavalier.

The Magician nodded.

'How hard can it be to find one little portal!' he said.

They opened the door at the far end of the hallway, and went into a huge room. Hank looked around, this place was unpleasantly familiar. Then he saw a thin shaft of daylight coming from a door at the far side. He looked up to the walls that disappeared up into the gloom.

There was a dead silence for a number of seconds.

'I don't believe it,' said Hank finally. 'We're back to the entrance hall!'

There was a collective sigh from the others, but the Ranger wasn't sure if it was relief or disappointment.

'Dungeonmaster said the portal was in the heart of the Temple,' said Diana, 'We must have missed it.'

Hank nodded. They were back at the beginning again. How long could they wander in here before the Curse got to them again? Maybe next time they wouldn't be able to shake off the despair.

'Jeez, what a waste of time!' said Eric, 'I haven't wasted this much time since I last tried Math revision!'

Bobby turned to face the Cavalier, a look of extreme frustration on his face.

'Last time I wasted this much time, we were wandering around a Mushroom Forest, looking for you!'

Hank immediately looked at Eric, hoping that the restraint he'd shown earlier would hold. But this time the Cavalier had had enough.

'Why can't you let it drop, Squirt!' he snapped. 'Go and annoy someone else!'

'Calm down, Eric,' said Hank. The last thing they needed was a fight.

'So, the ol' Cavalier can't take a little joke!' persisted Bobby.

The small unicorn beside him brayed her agreement.

Eric pointed at Uni.

'Stay out of this, you!'

'I can't believe how many times we've had to help you!' continued Bobby. 'How many portals have we missed because of you? And you opened the Box of Balefire in the first place!'

'Bobby, that's enough!' said Hank firmly.

'Get off my back, Barbarian,' replied Eric.

'You gonna make me?' The young boy stepped right up to the Cavalier, the horns on his helmet not even coming up to Eric's shoulders. 'I said, "Are you going to make me?"'

'Bobby!' said Hank in a warning tone.

Eric stared at him for a number of seconds then an angry sneer broke over his face.

'I would be delighted to, short-stuff!'

'Eric!' said Sheila, 'He's just a little boy!'

The Cavalier paused. Hank could see the shake of Eric's balled fists.

'Come on then, Cavalier!' Bobby gave him a quick prod with the Club. 'Or are you chicken?'

Presto grabbed Eric and pulled him back a few steps.

'Let it go, Eric!' said the Magician, glaring at the Barbarian. 'Hank, can't you…?'

'What did the Warlock do to you, anyway?' said Bobby with a taunting smirk. 'Did he hurt the poor little Cavalier?'

'You little b…' started Eric, pulling away from Presto, his eyes full of anger. Hank moved faster, and caught the Cavalier's arm before he had even taken a single step. The other boy struggled, and Hank was surprised at the effort it took to keep Eric from moving forward. Bobby was waving the Club belligerently, and was about to speak, when there was a long, loud hiss from the dark ceiling.

Everyone looked up.

'Something's up there!' said Presto, with an overtone of fear.

The gang all draw together. Eric lifted his Shield, Diana and Sheila standing close to him. Hank pulled an arrow, and held it up. Low, eerie whispers echoed round the halls, hinting at words that he couldn't quite make out.

There was a deep rumble, like distant thunder and a breeze stirred suddenly, growing with every second. Hank saw movement, a glint of light from high about them.

'Get ready!' he said.

A giant Obsidian Dragon swooped lazily down from the ceiling, as black as the castle's walls, with slender silver wings and claws, and huge red eyes that glowed in the gloom. It drew a deep breath, smoke rising from its nostrils.

'Scatter!' ordered Hank, letting the arrow go. The energy arrow hit the Dragon, dissipating harmlessly against its shiny scales. The others started to run and Hank jumped to the side, as a stream of fire erupted in retaliation.

He looked back, seeing the Dragon fly overhead, circling the group and preparing to land between the group and the door. Its long black legs thrust out suddenly and there was a nerve-shredding screech as the silver talons scraped over the flagstones of the hall. Everyone winced.

The Dragon's head darted back and forth, as it looked around at them. Hank fired one arrow after another at it, but they all bounced harmlessly off its scales.

Suddenly, the Barbarian rushed forward, swinging his Club.

'Come and try some of this!' he called. The Club struck the ground and a wave of flooring raced towards the Dragon, but it didn't fall.

Sheila gave a high-pitched squeal of terror as the Dragon reared back, filling its lungs, preparing to spray fire directly at Bobby. Hank fired another volley of arrows, but the Dragon didn't seem to notice.

'BOBBY!' screamed Sheila.

There was a flash of blue and yellow, as Eric ran in front of the Barbarian, just in time. The fire from the black Dragon billowed out around the magic of the Cavalier's Shield.

Hank flinched as the flames rushed past close by, and he lifted his hand to protect his eyes from the heat. After the flames had gone, he looked back and saw Sheila running towards Bobby, the hood of her Cloak down. She was racing forward without watching what the Dragon was doing. He watched in horror as it whipped round, faster than a Dragon that size should have been able to move, and the Thief was knocked towards him by the thrashing tail.

The Ranger sprinted up to her, heedless of the danger. By the time she had hit the ground, he was barely seconds away.  The Dragon turned to tower above them.

Hank reached her just as the Dragon lowered its head to bite, not thinking, just reacting. There was no way he couldn't let anything happen to her. He stood up tall between them, offering himself in Sheila's place, and praying it would be quick.

The Dragon stopped mid-lunge and stared back at Hank. Yes, it looked directly at him, its beady eyes gleaming scarlet red.

It blinked.

Seconds passed and the Dragon didn't move.

Hank was shaking. His mouth was dry and his heart thudded in his chest. He had been seconds from death, and now? The Dragon was just looking at him. In spite of all their experience in the Realm, the Ranger had never been so close to a dragon before, and wasn't sure about their expressions, but it looked almost expectant, its head cocked slightly to one side and the red eyes staring.

The others were all statues. Eric was in front of Presto, who was stopped mid-spell, identical expressions of fear and surprise on their faces. Diana was holding the Javelin up high, ready to vault onto the Dragon's back. Bobby had lifted his Club, ready to strike the ground again.

Only the sound of his heart pounding told him that time was not standing still. Then the Dragon blinked once more, sulphurous smoke slowly coiling out of its nostrils.

Tentatively, Hank reached down to grasp the Thief's hand. The Dragon did nothing.

It stood and watched as he helped Sheila up. The Thief clutched Hank tightly, and he could feel her shivering. He put his arm around her, glad to be able to hold her and looked back up into the Dragon's eyes.

It gave a low growl, and Hank's heart skipped a beat. Did it want still want a meal? But instead of attacking, the Obsidian Dragon leaped up into the air, the strong, silver wings sweeping forward. It flapped twice, creating such a strong tornado of air that they were almost knocked to the ground, then soared upwards to the ceiling and was lost in the shadows.

There were a few seconds of stillness, Sheila still holding on to him. Hank could feel the Thief's heart pounding next to his, and her nails digging into his shoulders. She was shaking. Slowly she looked up into his eyes. He didn't need her to speak, to say 'thank you for saving my life', it was all there in that one glance. He smiled.

Abruptly, she pulled away and raced up to Bobby, flinging her arms around him.

'Aw, c'mon sis. I'm fine!' he said, trying in vain to push her away. 'I'm fine!'

Hank turned unsteadily round as the others ran up.

'What was that all about?' asked Presto, 'I thought you were a goner, Hank!'

Hank watched the Thief hold tightly onto her embarrassed brother, his body still adjusting to still being alive. He nodded.

'So did I!' the Ranger replied with a nervous sigh.

'Shee-laa, I'm fine!' said Bobby.

Diana gave the Ranger an enormous hug.

'You were almost lunch for that thing!' she said.

'You're not kidding!' said Eric, with a crazy smile, 'He would have been the hors d'oeuvre.' The Cavalier smacked Hank jovially on the back. 'Way to scare a Dragon of its dinner!'

'Sheila! Let go!' said Bobby, and this time there was a brittle edge to the boy's tone. The others all turned to look. The Barbarian was flushed red, and glared at his staring friends.

'Stop treating me like a baby, sis! Leave me alone!'

The Thief pulled away abruptly, tears in her eyes. She looked Bobby for a few seconds, then stepped back and turned away from her brother.

'Hey, short-stuff,' said Eric, 'She was almost …'

Bobby turned to Eric.

'And I don't need your help either!'

Eric crossed his arms and scowled.

'Don't take it personally, squirt! It's my job!'

Hank stepped up to the young Barbarian. This was all they needed, another fight. He had to put a stop to this, right now.

'You shouldn't do that sort of thing, Bobby,' he said sternly. 'It's dangerous.'

'I can look after myself! I don't need him!' he jerked his thumb at the Cavalier.

'And there's no need to take it out on Sheila,' Hank added, ignoring Bobby's comment.

'Yeah,' said Diana, 'you could have been a bit nicer. She was almost eaten by the Dragon too!'

Bobby opened his mouth to reply, then blushed and hung his head.

'Yeah, I guess,' he said, then looked around quickly. 'Where is Sheila?'

Hank looked round too, suddenly afraid. He couldn't see her anywhere. Dungeonmaster has expressly told them to stick together. He had warned Hank in particular. Damn! Damn! DAMN! He had to find her. She was scared, she had almost been eaten, and he knew how she hated to be alone.

He turned to the others.

'You have to stay here,' he ordered. 'I won't be long. I have to find her!'

They started to argue, but Hank didn't wait, he was too worried to listen, or stop and think about what he was doing. His mind was on Dungeonmaster's words: _Do not let any of them wander alone._ It was up to him. He ran towards the closest door. The others were standing staring at him in surprise.

'Stay here,' he called out again as he left the hall. Their cries of warning quickly faded.

'Sheila!' he called, hoping she had not gone far. There was no answer. If the Thief had put he hood up, he could walk right past her and not know.

The Ranger ran on, desperately pulling open doors. Part of him couldn't stop thinking about the Dragon. It had almost eaten her, it had almost eaten him. What if it came back for a second try?

'Sheila!' he called, his voice echoing around the rooms. 'Sheila, where are you?'   
It was getting darker in the halls, but he ran on. There was still no answer, not a single sound.

'Sheila!'

Finally, Hank stopped to catch his breath. He was in another stone-floored hall, similar to the entrance hall, but smaller, with faint shadows on walls from the torches. Hank gulped. He didn't remember this room from last time.

He walked forward, looking from side to side for another door. The light from the torches dimmed slowly as he moved, until it was almost total darkness. He was about to pull an arrow for light, when he noticed something flickering ahead.

It was a different kind of light, a rich cobalt blue, and it was coming from an alcove at the end of the hall. After recovering from the surprise of seeing colour again, Hank walked towards it, and the light grew stronger with every step he took.

In the alcove was a small, cosy-looking room, much warmer than the hall. On the floor was a heart-shaped mosaic, probably red at one time, but now as black as the outside walls of the Temple. Flickering above the heart, suspended in mid-air, was a cold, blue flame that cast thick shadows on the walls.

Sheila was standing close to the heart, staring at the flame with her mouth slightly open. Looking at her, his heart was flooded with relief. What would he do if anything happened to her?

As he moved forward, she turned and looked up, her pupils dilated so far that her eyes were almost all black. The instant she gazed into his eyes, he thought his heart would stop.

He knew he had to kiss her.

All this time, the Ranger had kept his control. Every day, seeing her, being close to her had almost broken his heart. Memories of their journey rushed back to him, all the times he had been close to her, all the things they'd shared. It was all perfectly clear.

Specific feeling came back to him; the pain in her voice when she thought he'd betrayed the group and the Cloud Bears to Venger, the relief he'd felt when he'd explained; the jealousy he'd felt when Sir Lawrence had asked for her hand in marriage and the joy when she'd refused.

Hank couldn't help himself. She was so beautiful. Most of his brain knew he had to stop, but he couldn't. She was leaning towards him, her face lit with anticipation.

A fraction of a second before their lips touched, he heard words clearly in his mind.

_Shine like lightning._

The flame beside him seemed to shatter, sending out a searing pulse of light and everything was blocked out, everything but the wonderful girl standing in front of him.

He leaned forward, and kissed her.

=============

.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Eric stifled a yawn, pretending to be calm. This was dumb!

The four remaining Young Ones were all sitting on the cold, stone floor of the hall, waiting for Hank to return. It seemed like hours since the Ranger had run off after Sheila. They had waited obediently, but however much Eric preferred the hall to the mud, he was getting impatient.

Diana and Presto were sitting cross-legged on the flagstones, both looking as fed up as the Cavalier felt. Bobby sat opposite them, hefting his Club from hand to hand. The Unicorn was walking slowly around beside them, occasionally stopping to sniff the floor, and casting fleeting looks up to the shadow of the ceiling.

Eric shivered. Ah, yes, the Dragon! Would it come swooping down for a snack sometime soon? Or would it wait up there until Hank and Sheila returned, then come and eat them? It was unlikely that it would just leave them alone. Nothing in this awful place wanted to leave them to get home in peace.

Home! How he would love to get away from the Realm this time! But he could still feel the hopelessness of the Curse, gnawing way at the back of his mind. There was no doubt that the others felt the same, the looks on their faces told him that.

Dungeonmaster's words had helped for a while. But the longer they stayed, the worse it got. What if they had to wander around for longer? What if they couldn't keep going?

'This place is kinda creepy, don't you think?' he said, breaking the heavy silence.

The others looked at him. Uni stopped sniffing and looked up too.

'Yeah,' said Presto slowly, 'Definitely creepy.'

Eric waited, but no one else said anything. Ok, so it wasn't the best conversation opener he'd tried, but a three-word response was just an insult!

The unicorn was still watching him, her big, pink eyes gleaming in the dim light.

_Great,_ thought Eric, _the stupid unicorn is the only one listening!_

He would have to try something else. The Cavalier shifted uncomfortably, and let out a loud huff. The others ignored him, and his discomfort turned to annoyance. This was boring, this was dangerous and something had to happen soon! He stood up abruptly.

'That's it!' he said. 'I'm not waiting any longer.'

Presto looked up at him, disinterestedly.

'What are you going to do, Eric?' he asked. 'Hank told us to wait here.'

Eric gave them a surprised look.

'Hank was being dumb! Dungeonmaster said not to wander off on alone in this stupid place, and what does Hank go and do?' He drew himself up to his full height and said:

'I'm going to find them!'

'You'll just get lost. Again,' said Diana.

Eric frowned at her. Why didn't she have any confidence in him? Beside her, Bobby gave a quiet snigger. The Cavalier scowled more deeply, but didn't reply. He was in no mood to argue with the pipsqueak again just yet.

'So how long are we going to wait?' demanded the Cavalier. 'Who knows how long it's been since Hank went after Sheila. They could be in trouble.'

The other three looked at each other.

'Hank can cope!' said Diana. 'He'll be back soon with Sheila. They've probably found the portal too!'

Both Presto and Bobby smiled hopefully at her, but Eric still scowled. He waited for a few more seconds, but none of the others moved.

'I'll just take a look anyway,' he said and started towards the door Hank had used. No one tried to stop him.

Others had always said that Eric wasn't the most perceptive of people. One particularly cutting remark by his Father had suggested that he had the sensitivity of a brick. But as he moved towards the door, the Cavalier knew something was going to happen. Perhaps his time in the Realm had sharpened his senses, or perhaps he was just lucky this time.

He stopped within a foot of the door, hand half-outstretched. He knew it was coming, and that he couldn't get away. Panic was useless, fear was useless. Nothing was going to help.

He heard a murmur of indistinct words, like a sudden gust of wind, then suddenly a deep, clear voice said:

_Shine like lightning._

Pulse of light swept through the halls, searing into his eyes and mind. He staggered, stumbling to the ground beside the door, hearing his own voice in a howl of anguish.

He was hurting inside but couldn't identify the source of the pain; it was as if someone had stuck a red-hot poker through his chest. He could barely breathe. What was happening to him?

Suddenly, his body went numb. He felt the joy, the happiness all seeping away, until he was left with a thin façade of life. Hands gripping the side of his head, and realised they were his own. But the pain didn't stop. In a flash of inspiration he knew what he was feeling. Loneliness.

No one had ever truly cared about him. Not even his own Father wanted to spend a whole evening in his presence. His family…

_Family. _

That word reverberated through him lifting a memory from the darkest recess of his mind. But Eric's panic was stronger than that particular experience. He slammed his right hand down on the floor beside him, sending a stinging pain all the way up his arm, and shouted:

'NO! I'm NOT thinking about that!'

His eyes flicked open at the sound of his voice. Dizziness and nausea rose through him but quickly faded away. What was happening?

He looked back to the others.

Bobby had pulled Terri's necklace out of his pocket, and was watching the little golden heart swing back and forth with a sad, half-smile on his face. Presto was frowning, twisting his Hat in his hands and was rocking gently back and forth, eyes shining with unshed tears.

Diana was huddled on the floor in a ball, her knees hugged close to her chest. Even from far away Eric could see the Acrobat was shaking.

'_Cry like rain.'_ The words rang out across the hall.

The Cavalier watched as tears suddenly flowed down Diana's cheeks and she let out a choking cry.

'Kosar! Don't leave me!'

The word echoed round the hall.

An unexpected tear rolled down the Eric's face. Then he heard his Father's voice: 'Crying won't help, boy. How many times do I have to tell you? You have to grow up.'

Shame filled him. He could never live up to his Father's standards. He was never going to be the man his Father expected.

Fighting back more tears, the Cavalier tried to keep a grip on the situation.

'It's the Curse,' he mumbled. 'It's not real! Hold on to hope, that's what Dungeonmaster said. Hold on to hope, hold on to hope…'

But what was he going to do?

'_Hear my calling.'_

A sound of evil laughter echoed round the hall, a laugh that the Cavalier recognised instantly. Only one being in the whole Realm that could laugh like that!

Above the loneliness, he felt a renewed anger. They were caught! Again! Why couldn't he just leave them alone? That damn, one-horned, evil son of a …

'_Know my Name.' _ He didn't need to hear the name to know who it was, but the low voices in the wind hissed: _Venger!_

The Cavalier felt sick. Venger had caught them! He was the one who'd Cursed this Temple! Why had Dungeonmaster sent them here, knowing who had made the Curse? This is what the Arch-Mage had wanted all a long: the Young Ones helpless and defeated. And they had just walked into it!

Anger surged through him again, directed at both Venger and Dungeonmaster and it helped enormously. The stabbing pain faded to a dull ache.

But the Curse was still working in him, searching for his darkest, blackest memory. He could feel it rifling through his experiences as if searching through a book. Sooner or later it would find what it wanted, but there was no way he was going through that again, no fucking way! He had to get up and get out.

Legs shaking, Eric pushed himself up off the floor, reaching for the wall for support. The stones seemed alive, as though he had his hand on a magic battery. Such force took him by surprise, and he froze, feeling the delicious sensations of power flooding through him. Then the loneliness and the anger were replaced by a feeling of extreme jealousy.

Hank and Sheila: they were together.

He had always known about them. It was so blindingly obvious, even if they pretended otherwise: when Hank was doing his To-Be-A-Leader-Is-To-Be-Alone act, for example. Even Bobby had figured it out!

Now, finally, the waiting was over and they were one, sharing a perfect kiss that would last for all time. They could feel nothing but love. They were safe in their sanctuary.

Fear and pain were outside, with him, alone forever. He was doomed to be always on the outside. No one could ever love him as much as Hank loved Sheila. It was true love, a state he would never, ever understand. The power of their emotions made the walls around shake.

Eric stood there, eyes wide, his mind filled with secret knowledge.

Then the reality of what he was doing hit him. He was spying on them, with mute eagerness and nauseous voyeurism, desperate to touch at least part of something he could never have. No one would ever speak to him again if they found out!

Shame flooded through him again. He was small, and disgusting and he hated himself for being so weak. He had to get away from this.

With a huge effort, the Cavalier pushed himself away from the wall, and staggered over to the others.

'Get up!' he said, his voice slurring. He reached down and pulled Presto upright. The Magician was whispering a single word, over and over and over: Varla.

'Presto!'

He didn't move. Eric looked around uncertainly. Why didn't they listen to him? In desperation, Eric reached for Bobby, dragging him off the floor by his arm.

'Bobby! Snap out of it!'

The Barbarian stirred, and looked at Eric in annoyance.

'When did Terri let you in?' he asked, with a special contempt in the word 'you'.

Eric grabbed the Barbarian by both shoulders.

'Get a grip, Barbarian!' he shouted.

The Cavalier turned to Diana, who was silently sobbing her heart out in such a wrenching way that Eric wanted to cry in sympathy. Uni was sitting close by, her pink eyes watching the Acrobat with an expression of utmost pity.

'We have to get out!' the Cavalier said. 'Presto! Bobby!'

The Barbarian moved at the sound of Eric's voice, but Presto still continued to stare into the gloom.

'Presto! C'mon!'

There was a shudder through the building that made the walls groan. The force of the Curse was spreading. Eric could feel himself drawn towards the desire for affection. He had been lonely for so long. His family ignored him, split apart by…

'NO!' he heard himself shout. He raised his hands to his head once more, trying to block out the memory. 'No, I'm not going to think about it! I'm NOT.'

Every fibre of his being was screaming at him to run. After all, he had done all he could and the others would be fine. They were bound to follow him. He looked at Diana, sobbing on the floor. Who was he trying to kid? She wasn't going anywhere on her own.

Decisively, ignoring his own fears, Eric bent down and picked up the crying Acrobat. She was still shaking. As he held her, she turned towards him, pulling herself closer and crying into his shoulder with a renewed intensity.

Eric glanced back at the other two.

Bobby had collected Uni and was heading for the door, but the Magician still hadn't moved.

'Bobby, bring Presto!' he ordered. 'Hurry!'

His emotions were intensifying. The fine balance between sanity and desolation was tipping in the wrong direction. He had to get out.

Eric staggered forward towards the door then outside, into the mud and mist.

=============

Venger sat on his Dragon throne, as still as a sleeping golem. There was no need to rush a delicate plan such as this. He had to give the children time to succumb to the Temple's power. He could afford to wait: he had an eternity to rule the Realm for his Master. And he had to be sure.

Nothing could disrupt this plan, he was certain. The children would go into the Temple, unprepared for the subtle assault on their emotions. They would wander, searching in vain for the portal, getting weaker with each step, and finally they would just give up and stop. Even the pure at heart had weaknesses. The Temple would finish them.

_But what of the Dragon?_ he thought suddenly. But no, she was of no consequence. She would let them wander her halls, desperately hoping they would help her. But it would all be in vain. Either that or she would attack them! And it didn't matter who won the battle. The Dragon had no use for their weapons, and the young ones (being the foolish, innocent children that they were) would not kill her!

The Arch-Mage glared at a passing Orc, who quickly scuttled out of his Master's sight.

Under other circumstances, he might have gone out, perhaps set fire to a forest or destroyed a village, just to pass the time. But not today. When his slave returned with news, he wished to leave immediately. Destruction could wait for a few more hours. And in few hours he would have the weapons of power! In a few hours Tiamat would be no more! In a few hours the Realm would be his!

He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Then, just when Venger had decided to banish Shadow Demon permanently, the being in question appeared at the window and glided silently up to the Dragon throne.

The Arch-Mage looked at his servant with distaste. It should have been destroyed a long time ago, but it was so useful. And it had impeccable timing, too.

'Master! The children have entered the Temple.'

Slowly Venger rose, pulling himself up to his full height, and looking down arrogantly to his grovelling minion.

'Come, Shadow Demon!'

===============

The air was fresher outside, and the Cavalier took a long, deep breath to clear his head. The feelings of desperate loneliness were still writhing inside him, but they were dying down with each step he took away from the Temple.

There was an exhilarating mix of relief and pride in him instead. They were safe! He had got them out! And they said denial was a bad thing! He was never going to remember. Hell would freeze over before anything would make him remember THAT day again!

The logical part of his brain, the part that set the highest store on survival, told him to keep walking and never stop. The Temple was trouble with a capital T. But he was tired, Diana was heavier than she looked, especially when your legs kept shaking and your heart felt like it had a knife in it. He had to rest.

He set the Acrobat gently on the ground. But she wouldn't let go, her arms locked around his neck. She was sobbing in his arms, her face buried into his shoulder.

The Cavalier managed to look round to the others.

Presto had stumbled to the ground close by, his head bowed down. The Hat lay in the mud beside him, ignored. Bobby was standing next to Presto, the golden heart necklace still in his hand. Uni stood next to him, leaning against his legs, her head held low.

Eric turned to the silver doors, surprised at how far they were away. He lifted his hand to mask more tears. Hank and Sheila were still inside. They had each other and he had nothing. He stifled a shudder.

What the hell was going on? What were they going to do?

Beside him there was a sharp huff, and Eric looked back. The Barbarian was glaring at him again.

'Well, that was another great idea of yours, Er-ric,' said Bobby sourly.

Eric disentangled himself from Diana's grip, and she slumped down to the ground, not noticing the mud.

'Don't go blaming me!' he said. 'I didn't go wandering off on my own!'

Bobby paused, obviously searching for another explanation.

'Well, you went after them!' he said suddenly.

'Aw, quit bugging me, short-stuff!' the Cavalier replied with a scowl.

Bobby glared back at him, hefting the Club from hand to hand, and then a look of worry broke across the young boy's face.

'I've gotta find my sister!' he said suddenly and turned back to the silver door.

'Wait, Barbarian!'

The two young ones turned.

'Dungeonmaster!' said Bobby, his voice full of relief, a relief that Eric definitely didn't share. 'What's happened, Dungeonmaster? Where's Sheila?'

Dungeonmaster held up his hand, looking impassive.

'Patience, Barbarian! The Ranger and the Thief are now a part of the Temple. The power of Love has caught them.'

The old man turned to look directly at Eric, who felt the colour rising in his cheeks.

_How much does he know?_ wondered the Cavalier. _Does he know what I know? Does he know what I felt?_

'You are all in grave danger, my pupils.' continued Dungeonmaster. 'The power of the Temple has been rekindled and Curse will increase in strength. It will drain you all, unless you can stop it.'

'Why did you send us in there in the first place if this stupid Curse is so powerful?' snapped Eric, his voice taking on the familiar whine.

Dungeonmaster bowed his head.

'The Curse has found a new source of Magic.'

Eric frowned, trying to remember everything that their guide had told them last time he had appeared.

'But you didn't say anything about rekindling in your dumb riddles!' said Eric. He gave the old man a smug smile, positive that the Dungeonmaster couldn't wriggle out of this one. 'What's going on?'

'There is more than one force at work here,' said Dungeonmaster sagely. 'I warned you all not to wander alone, Cavalier.'

'But what's happening?' demanded Eric, his smile vanishing as his frustration increased. 'The Curse was already active when we got there. We felt it taking the hope that we would get home!' Dungeonmaster stared impassively at him, and Eric let is anger lash out at the old man.

'What have you got us into this time, Dungeonmaster? Do you know what happened in there? Do you even care?'

'Er-ric!' said Bobby, 'Of course he cares!'

The Cavalier snorted.

'Yeah, right! He cares so much that he wont give me a straight answer! What is going on?'

Dungeonmaster shook his head.

'There is no straight answer to give, Cavalier. The Temple is a source of great power, and its nature is not easy to fathom. The source is something that no man can control, the power of Love. Love is the only thing it understands.'

'Give me a break!' shouted Eric. 'I don't want soppy philosophy! I want an answer!'

Dungeonmaster looked sternly at the Cavalier and, for the first time ever, Eric sensed anger simmering just under the surface.

'It is not just the Temple of Love,' the old man said slowly. 'The Temple IS Love. The Ranger and the Thief have found magic in the Temple. But the Curse is stronger!'

Dungeonmaster's face became hard, and his voice lost all emotion.

'And now the full wrath of the Curse will spread out once again.' He looked at the two boys. 'All those who were in the Temple will eventually succumb to its power.'

The Cavalier glanced at his remaining friends. Uni had draped herself miserably over the Acrobats arm, but Diana didn't seemed to notice. She hadn't stopped crying.

Presto sat on the ground close by, still whispering the Illusionist's name.

Bobby stuffed the golden necklace back into his pocket, but the gold chain was still dangling out. He was watching Dungeonmaster pace around.

Eric himself felt weak, his legs were shaking and there was a constant whisper in his mind: _Remember your family. _But he didn't want to remember, and he would do anything to get rid of this terrible feeling.

'What do we have to do, Dungeonmaster?' he asked, shocked the firmness in his voice.

Dungeonmaster nodded grimly at him.

'Time is already running out. The effect from the Temple will spread. You must be quick.'

'But what about my sister!' demanded Bobby.

Dungeonmaster smiled.

'She is safe for the moment, Barbarian. But the longer the Ranger and the Thief are in the Temple, the less easy it will be to free them. You must go to the town of Amoran,' the Dungeonmaster pointed off to his left. 'Find a curse-breaker. Quickly!'

'I don't wanna leave my sister!' said Bobby.

The Barbarian looked back at the silver door, tightening his grip on the Club. There was a gleam in the Bobby's eye that Eric was very familiar with: the smash-something-quickly-look that Bobby only got when faced with a task he didn't want to do. Dungeonmaster had spotted it as well, because he put his hand on the Barbarian's shoulder.

'No Barbarian! Your Club cannot help her. Only love can help your friends. Remember young Pupils, friendship is shown in many ways. To succeed, you must give what must be given!'

'Huh?' said Eric. 'That doesn't make any sense!'

'Nothing is harder than a selfless sacrifice,' continued Dungeonmaster. 'Yet nothing is more worthwhile.'

'But what about Presto, and Diana?' asked Eric. He glanced down to his friends. There was no answer to his question.

'Dungeonmaster?' The Cavalier looked around quickly. The old man was gone.

The two boys looked at each other, and tears started in Bobby's eyes.

'And what about Sheila?' asked Bobby. Impulsively, Eric reached out, and put a hand on Bobby's shoulder, just as Dungeonmaster had done. He smiled, but didn't know what to say. Hank would have known how to help, Diana would have known. Heck, even Presto could have come up with something.

'We had better go,' he said, cringing inside. Couldn't he think of anything better than that?

But it was enough. The Barbarian nodded, then turned and walked off in the direction Dungeonmaster had pointed. The Cavalier followed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Nightmare landed in mud, a short distance from the Temple. It had snorted and reared when Venger had told it were to go, and refused approach the Temple's walls. The Arch-Mage was not surprised. The beast recognised Bad Magic, and knew when to keep its distance!

Venger couldn't see the Temple through the mist, but he didn't need to see it to sense its power. He moved forward, Shadow Demon in tow, leaving the Nightmare to look after itself.

The mists parted suddenly, and he saw the great, black walls of the Temple. The Nightmare had been accurate, even if it was a coward. They were just outside the silver door of the Temple. He looked at the building in front of him with a growing sense of superiority. The door was open.

'Fools!' he murmured.

'Master, look!' said Shadow Demon suddenly, pointing off to the left.

Venger turned suddenly, worried for an instant. Could the children have deceived him once more? But there were only two of them, and he noticed with great satisfaction that they were slumped on the ground, well away from the doors with their weapons lying beside them.

The Arch-Mage moved swiftly forward to take the Javelin and the Hat from their distraught owners. Not even the unicorn stirred as he passed.

'Foolish children,' he muttered with a smirk, 'Unable to master your emotions!'

He strode through the open, silver doors with his head held high, and across the Temple's main hall. Shadow Demon followed at a discrete distance. There was a stirring of air behind him. Venger turned.

The Obsidian Dragon came sweeping down from the rafters and landed on the stone floor, blocking Venger's way forward. It stared at him with bright red eyes.

'Devil!' the Dragon hissed. 'Free me!'

'Never, Sara- Estaria! I will never set you free. And no one else can help you!'

The Dragon snarled at him, provoked at the sound of her former name, her teeth snapping shut just inches from his face. Venger didn't flinch. Estaria had no power to attack him, she wouldn't dare. But his show of bravado seemed to make her angrier. Thin, orange flames coiled out of the side of her mouth filling the air with the sharp smell of dragon-smoke.

'Where are the children?' he demanded.

The Dragon didn't reply, but flicked her tail back and forth.

'Tell me, Dragon! I command you!'

Estaria flicked her forked tongue out insolently, then turned and leaped up into the air. Black winds swept past him as she soared off, flying back up into the rafters hidden in the shadows above.

Venger scowled. For a few seconds he contemplated killing her. But no, the Dragon had her place, and he was not going to tamper with a Curse that had worked so well for so long.

'But I will make you pay for this, Estaria,' he called up to the shadows. 'I will teach you to play games with me!'

Venger drew a deep breath. Since the Dragon was not going to be cooperative, he would have to find the weapons some other way. He knew the Curse, it was his creation after all, and he knew better than to try and use magic.

A twisted smile crept over his face. This Curse was his finest work. He had despised the simple nature of love and was determined to see it perverted. It was such a simple emotion, so easy to distort. Those poor, foolish children stood no chance against his beautiful Curse.

And the Arch-Mage had another advantage over those children: he knew his way around.

Venger approached one of the doors, but as soon as he touched its handle, he sensed something was wrong. Magic surrounded him, as strong and vibrant as ever as the day it was first created. The Magic of the Temple, the Magic of Love.

Venger paused in surprise.

The Magic had been activated. The full power of the Temple was alive once again. Something had triggered it. How could this happened? They should not have been capable of triggering the ritual.

His hand tightened on the handle as the Magic engulfing him, and he understood what had happened. The Thief, and the Ranger!

That accurséd Ranger was the cause of this!

A snarl appeared on his face. He had not anticipated that the children would be able to do that. How was he supposed to know that the Ranger loved the Thief! The Arch-Mage shuddered. All this childish, human emotion! It was sickening!

He wrenched the door open to sever the connection with the Temple's power source, deliberately tearing the door off its hinges and flinging it aside.

Then Venger waited, as still as a petrified Orc, for the echoes of Magic to die away so he could think clearly. The Curse was still intact, that was clear from the two children outside, pinning away. The Dragon was also still enslaved.

So, with the Magic of the Temple alive, the Curse would increase in power too. How potent would the Curse become if it used the full powers of the Temple, the power he could not access before? The Arch-Mage smiled once more.

How amusing that would be! The perfect and pure love that the Ranger had sacrificed to power the Temple would be turned to evil. True love being used to destroy! It was delicious!

Venger straightened himself, his smile now broad and thoroughly evil. There was no need to worry. Ultimately, it made no difference. As long as they were incapacitated, he could take their weapons, and if the Curse swept out beyond the Plains, perhaps destroying the city of Amoran too, then that was just a bonus.

And now it was obvious where the Ranger was. He and the Thief had to be in the Sanctuary.

Venger walked forward once more, heading directly to the Sanctuary, never once stopping, aware of the growing sense of magic as they approached the Heart of the Temple. Shadow Demon trailed after him all the time, never saying a word.

Within a short while, Venger saw the cobalt blue glow from the Temple's centre. Rounding the corner, he looked into the Sanctuary to the Heart of the Temple and suddenly sneered.

The Ranger and the Thief were there, together.

It was as he had suspected. They had indeed ignited the Magic. They had given themselves to the Temple, and it was thriving!

They were sitting on the Heart, entwined around each other and locked in a passionate kiss. They moved slowly, as if they had all the time in the world. Their faces were slightly flushed, and they seemed utterly oblivious to anything going on around them. The Bow and Cloak lay beside them on the floor, forgotten.

Venger smiled, two more weapons were his! Now there were just two left, the little boy's Club and the Shield. His smile broadened. He was looking forward to removing the Shield from that exceptionally annoying Cavalier. Nothing would give him greater pleasure (except destroying Tiamat, of course). Dungeonmaster had been unbelievably foolish this time, sending his star pupils into somewhere so dangerous.

Under other circumstances, Venger would have taken the weapons immediately and left, but his desire to gloat got the better of him. He watched the young ones kiss, with a look of disgust on his face. It was curious, the power of this fragile emotion.

_Why did it drive them?_ he wondered. _Why do humans have to love?_

Suddenly, his heart seemed to leap in his chest and life ignited once again. There was a stabbing pain through his whole body and the magic weapons he carried slipped from his hands.

'Master?' asked Shadow Demon from far, far away.

Venger couldn't reply. Intense loneliness welled up through him, and his thoughts strayed to a broken family: a father, long forgotten and a sister, long ignored.

Then came panic, and also a new feeling, one he hadn't experienced for a very, very long time: regret.

What was he thinking? What had happened to him? These feelings, they had no place in his life now. He had abandoned all these things, locked them away forever, in a place no one could touch.

How? How could this have happened to him? It was not possible! Through the maelstrom of emotions he struggled to understand. What had happened?

His eyes narrowed.

There was only one being powerful enough to do this to him: that Dragon! But how?

The Arch-Mage shuddered, his mind consumed by unwelcome memories of his past life. But he was rational enough to know he had to get out. He lurched backwards, away from this terrible place, away from the source of his pain: the two young lovers, eternally wrapped in each other's embrace.

================

Time had very little meaning in the Plain of Desolation and Eric was never sure how long they walked through the mud. It had started raining soon after they left the Temple, making the mud more slippery. The rain was the last straw and the Cavalier ground to a halt, muddy water pooling round his ankles.

For a few moments, Eric stood, head tilted back and eyes closed, basking in the heavy downpour of water. There was no point in trying to fight it. There was nothing dry for miles. And at least rainwater was clean.

Bobby was watching him silently, his eyes narrowed with a sulky look on his face. It was true that they had never been the best of friends, but they usually got along OK. The Cavalier could never resist the temptation to tease him. Bobby was so easy to wind up but usually got angry too quickly. Lorne was better, much more like the surrogate brother he'd wanted.

Eric opened his eyes abruptly. He wanted to think about something else. He looked around once more at the dank rainwater that was turning the mud into slimy sludge and sighed.

'I hate mud!'

Bobby gave a terse nod of agreement. He looked up at the Cavalier, and spoke for the first time since they'd left the Temple.

'What's happened, Eric? How could love do that to our friends? I thought love was supposed to be a good thing.'

Eric felt his heart sinking and resisted the temptation to come back with a put down. He didn't want to have this conversation. But Bobby didn't give up.

'Er-ric?'

'You're too young to understand.' Eric said, and immediately wished he hadn't. What a stupid thing say. Like that would shut the Barbarian up! Bobby scowled.

'I am not!'

Eric raised an eyebrow, trying to look knowledgeable. 'You should be glad you don't understand. Look at Presto, and Diana!'

The Cavalier started walking again at a brisk pace, hoping that Bobby would drop the subject.

'But what's wrong with them, Eric?' Bobby asked plaintively. 'Why did Diana keep crying like that?'

Eric struggled to find an answer.

'She loved Kosar. She still does,' he said. Strange how saying the words made him feel such regret. 'She won't ever forget.'

'I love Mom and Dad, but I'm still OK,' replied Bobby.

Eric felt a sharp twinge of jealousy. Family! Family was the last thing he wanted to think about at the moment. At least Bobby's Dad cared whether he lived or died. He had one up there.

'What Diana felt for Kosar, and Presto felt for Varla, just…well, it just isn't the same.'

Who was he trying to kid anyway? Since when had he felt anything that intense for anyone else? Who did he have? Hank had Sheila, Presto had Varla, Diana had Kosar. Heck, even Bobby had Terri. And here was he, trying to explain love to the Barbarian. What a joke!

Bobby was looking confused.

'You remember Terri, right?' said Eric. The Barbarian gave him a deep scowl and raised his Club.

'Don't you say anythin'…'

'OK, OK, it's an example!'

Bobby nodded.

'You liked her, she was fun, yes?' The Barbarian nodded. 'Well, imagine feeling like feeling like that for someone, but with all your heart.'

Bobby stared blankly at the Cavalier for a few seconds, then said:

'Sounds stupid!'

Eric shrugged. The only stupid thing around here was his lame explanation. He shouldn't have bothered.

'But why…'

'Look,' interrupted Eric angrily, 'I can't explain it any better! It just is, OK?'

'But if this Curse is sooooo bad,' said Bobby. 'Why are you alright?'

Eric looked carefully at the Barbarian. Wasn't it obvious? But Bobby seemed serious, so Eric gave a careless flick of his hand, holding his head high.

'Don't you know the ol' Cavalier has a mind like a steel trap! You wouldn't catch me getting bogged down in all that love stuff, no way!'

Saying the words hurt more than Eric could have guessed. He had never understood love either. He had never had anyone who truly cared about him that much, not even family and certainly not any member of the opposite sex. It was what he longed for, someone to care about him, someone to care for in return. He could count on one hand (one finger, actually) the number of people who genuinely loved him. But even his Mom hadn't been the same since Michael had…

NO! 

Eric suddenly jerked to a stop again. Denial was his only course of action. He wasn't going to think about that. No, no, NO!

Bobby was staring at him again.

'What you looking at, squirt?' said Eric loudly.

'Nothin'!' replied Bobby. He sulked at the ground for a few moment then added:

'I don't understand.'

'I don't either,' replied Eric heavily.

This time Bobby didn't take the opportunity to tease him, and so Eric gave the Barbarian a reassuring smile.

'I'm sure Sheila will be OK,' he said. 'But we have to find this curse-breaker, and get back real quick.'

They walked on in silence for a few steps, Eric realising that he wasn't so much walking as wading. The Cavalier looked at his shorter companion, wondering what the Temple had done to him. The Barbarian seemed to be his usual annoying self, but he had been looking at Terri's pendant again. He usually only did that after they had missed another portal, when he thought no one was looking.

Suddenly, Bobby blurted out:

'I'd do anything for my sister!'

The Cavalier gave a resigned smile. _Family_. He just couldn't get away from it, could he? Perhaps he should just come clean and tell the little pipsqueak, so he would shut up!

'Sheila's lucky to have you as a brother,' he said slowly. Bobby glanced at the Cavalier, but Eric was being serious. 'It must be nice to have a brother,' he murmured. 'I don't really rememb...'

'Hey, look!' interrupted Bobby. 'I can see lights ahead!'

The Barbarian ran off, giving no sign that he had heard anything the Cavalier was saying.

Eric gave a short sigh, and ran to catch up with Bobby then suddenly splashed to a halt. The mist was gone!

'This is a seriously crazy place,' he murmured.

Before them was a huge city, similar in style to the Temple, black and forbidding. Not a place Eric would have willingly gone into, under normal circumstances. But when was the last time he had seen anything normal in the Realm?

Bobby pointed.

'Do you think that's Amoran?'

'It had better be!' said Eric. 'Any more rain and I'll rust!'

'Let's go then!' said Bobby eagerly. 'C'mon! Let's find out!'

The Cavalier and the Barbarian walked quickly up to the gate in front of them. Eric gave a sigh of relief when he saw the name AMORAN welded to the outer gate in big, golden letters. For a few moments he forgot about the Temple and the Curse. He gave the Barbarian a playful thump on the back.

'We've found it! Way to go, us! What a team!'

But Eric's elation didn't last long. As soon as they had stepped inside, his heart sank again. It was the feel of the city, now they were inside it. There was only one word that described it: depressing. The city was drab and dark, and full of misery.

And no one wanted anything to do with the two young ones. The few people that did acknowledge them backed away in fear.

'Gee, no one seems to like us anymore,' said Bobby, anxiously. 'How are we going to find a curse-breaker if no one will talk to us?'

They walked onwards, hoping they were heading for the centre. It was difficult to tell, all the streets looked the same and the Cavalier couldn't keep track of where they were.

Bobby suddenly nudged him in the ribs.

'Hey, you hear that, Eric?'

The Cavalier shook his head.

'I can hear singing!' said Bobby.

Eric was about to suggest that the Barbarians ears needed an overhaul, when he heard it too: a female voice singing close by.

'Let's go find her!' suggested Bobby eagerly. 'If she can sing, she can talk too!'

The Barbarian ran forward, and Eric followed. Guided by the song, Bobby led them out into a large town square, approximately the size of a football pitch, surrounded by shops of all sizes.

The first thing Eric noticed was the general lack of people. There were four, perhaps five people in the whole place. All of them walked with their heads bowed down, not looking at the two newcomers. The next thing he noticed was that all the shops were shut, and looked like they had been that was for a long time, judging by the boards across their windows.  
'I've seen busier cemeteries,' he quipped without thinking. And the little voice in his head asked: _And when was the last time you were at a cemetery?_

The Cavalier shuddered, and nearly dropped his Shield. It whacked the stony road with an incongruous clang. Bobby turned round angrily, giving him a fearsome Barbarian glare.

'What's up with you now?' he demanded.

Eric scrabbled around on the ground for his Shield, trying not to look directly at the Barbarian, in case the boy was the tears in his eyes and laughed. But Bobby suddenly pointed across the square.

'Hey, look!'

A young, brown-haired girl was sitting on the steps of one of the shops, a begging bowl in front of her. She looked a little younger than the Cavalier, and was dressed in a short, blue dress that was frayed around the edges.  But, most importantly, she was smiling hopefully at them. She began to sing.

_I've loved you for a long, long time_

_I know this love is real_

_It don't matter how it all went wrong_

_It won't change the way I feel_

_And I can't believe that time's_

_Gonna heal this wound I'm speaking of_

_There ain't no cure,_

_No, there ain't no cure,_

_There ain't no cure for love._

_There's nothing pure enough_

_To be a cure for love._

Her voice was lovely to listen to. She was the only one in this whole place to be unaffected by the gloom and despair. Another pang of isolation crept up on the Cavalier and he drew breath slowly. They would have to hurry. The Curse was working away at him all the time. He wouldn't be able to fight it off forever.

Not for the last time, Eric wished he could be anywhere but here (or the Temple, or the plains of mud, or this whole crazy world, now he came to think about it), but he followed Bobby as he ran up to the girl.

The bowl in from to her was empty, and she looked at them with a expectant smile.

'Sorry, kid,' said Eric, 'We don't have any cash either.'

Her shoulders sagged, and she sighed.

'I'm never going to get enough,' she said miserably.

She looked back up at Bobby and Eric, looking surprised and slightly wary.

'Why'd you come over, if you have no money?'

'We have to find a curse-breaker,' Bobby told her, 'and no one else will talk to us. My name's Bobby, I'm a Barbarian.'

'I'm Clara,' the girl said, standing up and holding out her hand politely.

She shook Bobby's hand, then turned to look at the Cavalier.

'He's Eric,' said Bobby helpfully.

'That's Eric the Cavalier!' said Eric in annoyance.

Clara shook his hand too. There was an uncomfortable silence.

'So did you write that song?' Eric asked more to keep the conversation going than genuine interest.

The girl looked at him as if he had two heads, and he scowled. How he was sick of people looking at him like that! It was bad enough when his friends did it, now strangers were joining in on the act.

'It's a Leonard Cohen song,' she replied.  'Where did you get an education? Doctor Spock's School for the Permanently Silly?'

The attitude and the way she spoke seemed familiar. All the people they'd seen in this world looked human, well the human-looking ones did, anyway. But the ones from home had a certain look, a kind of sparkle that none of the others had. Terri had it, and Jimmy had it too. So did this girl!

'You're from Earth!' he exclaimed. 'You're stuck here too!'

'Almost. I am from Earth, but I'm not stuck.'

Bobby frowned at her.

'Don't you want to get home?'

'I am home. I live here now.'

'You live here? In this crappy city?'

Clara nodded with a smile, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Bobby looked round at Eric, who just shrugged. They had to keep their minds on the task in hand.

'Look,' said Eric, 'we need to find someone to help with this Cursed Temple we found. It's done something to our friends.'

Clara's smile faded.

'"The" Cursed Temple?' she asked nervously.

Eric nodded. How many Cursed Temples could there be around here?

'There's one person who might help, but…' she petered out.

'We're running out of time,' said Eric impatiently. 'We'll take anyone we can get!'

Clara paused for a few seconds, as if debating what to do. Her lips were slightly pursed and she looked worried. She picked up her bowl and said:

'Alright. We'll go see Shiran.'

'Who's he?' asked Bobby.

'He's the city's Tronager.'

She looked at their blank expressions without smiling.

'He's the supervisor of the port's scales. He makes sure all the merchant's weights are calibrated correctly as well. At least he used to.'

'Why did he stop?' asked Eric sarcastically. 'It sounds so interesting!'

'The port closed a long, long time ago. There's no trade as no one dares come near. You are the first visitors this city has seen in ages!'

'Well, it's not exactly on the tourist route, with all that mud!' said Eric reasonably.

'This Tronager, he's not a Wizard?' asked Bobby.

Clara shook her head and gave a knowing smile.

'No. But he knows a lot.'

They had no better plan, so they followed their new friend through a maze of streets getting more and more lost. Eventually they saw the deserted port, and Clara stopped beside the medium sized house that sat at the near end, before the loading bays and the pier.

She pushed the door open, and the two young ones followed her in.

Eric stifled a gasp. The Cavalier had been dragged along to some pretty big public libraries, but he had never seen so many books stuffed into one place. They were stacked in impossible towers that reached up to the ceiling; they were piled on bookcases that had warped under the great weight. And there was barely enough floor space to walk across the room. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling. Books, books, books! Everywhere.

Clara picked her way with practiced ease towards through the tiny gaps, to a door in the corner.

'Shiran!' she called.

There was a shuffling noise and the door opened. An old man appeared, slightly stooped (presumably from carrying so many books around). He had a long, craggy face that reminded Eric of a headmaster and his hair was dark brown, except for a striking lock of steel-grey, just off centre.

He took one look at their weapons and rushed forward to shake their hands with a bone-crunching grip. Eric noticed Bobby surreptitiously rubbing his hand afterwards.

'Dungeonmaster's pupils, here in my house!' said Shiran. 'What fortune! What fortune!'

He gave them a broad, almost predatory smile. 'How can I help such famous adventurers?'

'My sister, and our friends, are in the Temple of Love,' said Bobby eagerly. 'And Dungeonmaster told us to find a curse-breaker. Clara said you could help.'

The old man looked round at Clara in surprise.

'No one else in this city knows as much as you about magic,' she said defensively.

Shiran glanced down at the ground with a bashful shrug.

'Well, that's a bit of an overstatement, Clara,' he said modestly.

'Can you help us?' asked Bobby anxiously.

Shiran looked at the Barbarian with another broad smile.

'Let's go and see what we can find in the books, shall we?'

He turned to Clara.

'Perhaps you could find some food for our new friends?'

The girl nodded, and waded back through the book towers to another door.

'Come, young adventurers,' said Shiran, leading them through to the back room. The halls and rooms they passed were also stuffed full of books, but the back room only had books over three quarters of the floor. There was a large table at the far end, covered in scraps of paper. With one fluid movement, Shiran pushed the papers into an unruly pile, clearing a space and then picked three or four thick tomes from one of the bookcases nearby. He flicked through the pages with a long, claw-like fingernail.

'The Curse is a fine piece of craftsmanship, if I may say. One of the triskiest bits of magic I've seen in a long, long time. Subtle, complex, dangerous. Venger was inspired that day. I must search carefully…'

Neither Bobby nor Eric spoke as Shrian pored over his books. Bobby watched the old man eagerly, but Eric soon tired of watching someone else read. He turned, and tilted his head, pretending to read the titles of the books. Instead, he stared blankly at the wall of knowledge in front of him, thinking about home.

Until now, he had always focused on getting out of this crazy world, and back to their own planet, where they had useful things like TV and burgers. But going back home to his house and his family wasn't actually something he was looking forward to. How the hell was he going to explain to his parents where he'd been? His Father would probably lock him up forever. He could hear the lecture already. His behaviour was not acceptable. He had to grow up and take some responsibility: he was the last of the Montgomery Clan now.

_Yes,_ hissed the voice in his head. _You remember why, don't you?_

He turned abruptly away from the books, to see Shiran staring at him with dark, shining eyes. The Cavalier took an involuntary step back.

'What!' said Eric in surprise.

'I said: "Are you following this?",' said Shiran.

Eric glanced at Bobby for support, but the Barbarian was looking intently at him too. How long had they been talking for? And what were they talking about?

'Um, well…Could you give me, um, a quick recap?'

Shiran gave him a devious grin, obviously realising that the Cavalier hadn't heard a word he'd said.

'Your friends have increased the power of the Temple,' said the Tronager evenly. 'But since the Temple is under a Curse, they have increased power of the Curse instead. The Curse can now extend its area of influence and destroy the inhabitants of this city, as well as yourselves. It that clear enough for you?'

Eric nodded mutely.

'And, don't forget, it will still attack you any way it can!' said Shiran sadly.

There was silence, and a familiar feeling of panic engulfed the Cavalier. It was hard to remain hopeful under normal circumstances, but with the Curse affecting his mind, it was almost impossible. He tried to remind himself how often the gang had cheated death before, but it didn't help.

'What about the Dragon?' asked Bobby.

The Tronager gave a sudden start.

'The Dragon? You met her?'

'It's a her?' asked Eric sourly. 'Yeah, we met her. She almost had us for dinner.'

Shiran nodded slowly.

'The Dragon was once the Keeper of the Temple. It was her home. When Venger cast the Curse, Sara was transformed, enslaved even, and trapped with the of a dragon-form. The Temple is a living building, you know, it needs guidance. So, with no Keeper, it was easier to subvert.'

He looked at the two young ones in surprise.

'How did you escape? Your weapons?'

Bobby shook his head.

'The Dragon tried to eat my sister, but Hank frightened her off.'

The Tronager looked confused.

'Obsidian Dragons aren't easy to scare,' he said.

Shiran turned suddenly, going over to one of the bookcases, muttering, 'Odd, very odd. I wonder? I wonder…'

Yes, thought Eric, it was odd, now he came to think about it. The Dragon had stopped attacking when it saw Hank about to sacrifice himself for Sheila. But why? Why would it care?

'Shiran?' asked Bobby quietly. 'If this Curse is so powerful, why are we OK and the others aren't?'

Instead of replying directly, Shiran looked at the Cavalier.

'Have you ever been in love?'

The Cavalier was taken aback by the directness of the question. He gave a sullen humph.

'Who needs that mushy stuff, eh, Bobby?'

He was enormously relieved to see the Barbarian nod. Shiran nodded too.

'Well, there you are then,' said the Tronager reasonably.  'It is the Temple of Love, after all!'

'But…' started Bobby, and Shiran held up his hand.

'Yes, you love your family and care about your friends, but being 'in love' is different.'

To Eric's surprise, Bobby didn't argue with the old man, but said:

'Dungeonmaster told us to break the Curse. Can you help us?'

There were tears in the young boy's eyes. Shiran smiled.

'Breaking curses is deceptively simple, young adventurer. The books all say the same things about curse-breaking. You must reverse the spell using the opposite of what Venger used.'

He smiled confidently at them.

'And, of course, some blood.'

Eric screwed up his nose. Why did it always have to be blood?

'Yes,' he said matter-of-factly, 'Venger's blood.'

Both boys looked at each other, then turned to gawp at the Tronager.

Eric recovered first.

'Venger's blood!' he said incredulously. 'You have GOT to be kidding! You might as well have suggested one of Tiamat's teeth!' The Cavalier shook his head in disbelief. 'I'm not even sure that Venger even has blood!'

The old man frowned, and looked back at the books on his table.

'You could try some other source,' he suggested. 'Um, innocent blood might do the trick, but there would have to be an awful lot of it. Perhaps a bucket…'

'Oh, please!' snapped Eric. 'This is getting us nowhere!'

'But how do we break it when we get back there?' asked Bobby.

Eric gulped, so loudly that Shiran seemed to here. Of course, they had to go back to the Temple! There couldn't be any long distance curse-breaking, oh no that would be too easy.

But Eric knew he could never get back. He would never be able to get close to that place without remembering. He was hardly able to keep denying the memory, and they were miles away! He looked at the Barbarian. Bobby had saved them before, he had come to that stupid prison of agony place, he had got them out. But he'd had help, and an amulet from Dungeonmaster, and…

'Shiran!' called a female voice. Clara appeared suddenly at the door, her eyes wide in fear.

'The Mayor and a big mob are coming down the street, Shiran. They're coming here!'

Bobby and Eric exchanged looks. Why did this always happen? And at the worst moment too! There were sudden noises outside, shouting and angry voices.

'They are coming!' hissed the Tronager.

'Who? What? Who?' said Eric indistinctly.

The old man turned to him.

'They know, they must have seen you,' he said, looking around in a panic, grabbing various books from nearby shelves.

'Us?' said Bobby, 'What did we do?'

The old man didn't stop gathering his books.

'They must know the Temple has been awakened once more,' he said. 'You are the only strangers to come here in decades. They'll come for you!'

Both Eric and Bobby jerked back in surprise.

'Let 'em come!' said Bobby, swinging his Club in front of him, just missing the table. The Tronager looked sternly at Bobby.

'No, child! You have a great task to do, you must go. Now!'

'But we don't know how to break the Curse yet!' said Bobby desperately. 'You haven't told us…

Shiran wasn't listening. He looked at Clara.

'Will you get them safely out of the city?'

The girl nodded, but she looked frightened.

The old man smiled at her.

'And I will remain here,' the old man said firmly. 'I will distract the Mayor, when he comes. But you must go, and go now. Return to the Temple, quickly.'

The old man stepped up to Eric and gripped his arm. Tears suddenly sprang to Eric's eyes as his chainmail buckled under the man's exceptionally powerful grip. The nerves in his lower arm went numb.

And the panic Eric felt paled into insignificance as he looked into the Tronager's eyes. The depths of age and knowledge and intelligence were there. It was like looking at the night sky, seeing countless suns across the countless ages of the Universe. Eric stood there, hypnotised.

'Take them back to the Temple!' Shiran hissed at him. 'Take them as far as you can. We must trust that the Dragon knows what she's doing.'

The old man released his grip and looked away to his books, ignoring the three children. A jumble of questions formed in Eric's mind, but he was unable to speak. What had just happened to him? Who was that man?

There was a thump from the door, and the hinges creaked.

'Let's get out of here!' suggested Bobby.

Clara had gone to one of the bookcases, and lifted on of the dusty books off the top shelf. There was a click and the bookcase moved away from the wall.

'Come on!' she said, disappearing through the gap. Bobby and Eric both followed her. There was a click behind them, cutting off any light.

They were in a dark, narrow passage that smelt of decaying leaves. As they squeezed along Eric could feel his red cape catching on various lumps in the wall. His metal chest plate was making a hideous scratching noise every time he moved.

'Quiet, Eric!' Bobby whispered to him.

'I'm trying,' Eric muttered back.

'Your not trying enough!'

'Shhhh!' said Clara. 'Don't move!'

Eric closed his eyes and waited. There was the sound of raised voices, but the Cavalier couldn't make out what they were saying. Then there was the sound of falling books, and a dull, whooshing roar, as if an angry dragon had just roasted its enemies. Then silence.

It was too dark to see either Clara or Bobby, but he could hear the Barbarian breathing rapidly.

And all the time there was the whisper of suppressed memories in the back of his mind. Was this ever going to end?

They waited for over ten minutes, possibly the longest ten minutes Eric had ever spent trapped behind a bookcase. Then Bobby gave his a little shove and whispered:

'Clara says to give the door a push!'

Eric did. It moved slightly, then stopped. He put his shoulder to it and gave a mighty shove. There was the scraping of wood and the door opened enough for him to squeeze out.

Shiran was gone. His books were still there, but seemed to be covered in a thin layer of steel-grey dust. There was no sign of anyone else.

The instant Clara appeared from their hiding place, she ran to the back door, and the two young ones ran after her. There was the sound of raised voices far off, but the harbour was empty, so the three of them ran off through the streets, to the city gates, with Clara leading the way.

Eric didn't speak, he was too out of breath.

No one saw them until they were close to the gates. They gave a spurt of speed, but all the Amorites threw at them were insults.

Then they were outside, back in the mud again. They slowed, but didn't stop running until they were hidden in the mists of the Plain, following the footprints form earlier.

Finally, Eric stumbled to the ground, gasping for breath. It was one thing to go racing around the streets of Amoran, but quite another to try and run through mud. Bobby and Clara were breathing heavily too, but Eric knew they couldn't rest for long. Time was running out.

The closer they returned to the Temple, the stronger the feelings of despair were getting. So far, his denial of the memory had kept him going. He wouldn't let himself remember, he just wasn't strong enough to live through that again. But Eric was getting more and more confused, and he knew it. The Curse would soon force him to remember, and then there would only be Bobby left.

'Let's go!' he said, between gasps. 'It's a long way.'

Bobby didn't look too pleased, and the Cavalier wondered again what the Temple had done to the Barbarian.

'Who died and left you in charge?' demanded Bobby.

Eric felt sick, as if Bobby's words had physically hit him.

'Shiran told me to lead you back to the Temple,' he snapped back. 'So let's go!'

The Barbarian opened his mouth to argue, and Eric lost his temper, no longer listening to what he was saying.

'Oh, give it a rest, Michael! We've gotta go!'

The Barbarian froze, his eye wide in surprise.

'What did you say?' he asked.

'I said give it a rest, stupid. We've gotta go.'

The Cavalier stood up as quickly as he could, and started walking. There other two followed, the Barbarian watching him with a scowl, but Eric didn't slow.

They struggled on for a short while, Eric slowly growing more perturbed. Eventually he stopped, and turned to the Barbarian.

'Look,' said the Cavalier, 'we need to figure out how to break this stupid curse. Grandpa back there wasn't exactly helpful. We don't know what Venger used to make the spell, and we are never, ever, ever going to get some of Venger's blood to spice it all up! And we'll never be able to get back to the City now, they're after us!'

He knew he wasn't making a lot of sense, but didn't dare stop. If he did, the Curse would win.

Neither of his companions spoke. Eric felt panic starting again. He desperately needed something to keep his mind off his family.

'What are you two staring at anyway?' he said belligerently. 'C'mon, we need activity here!'

'Venger would have used something nasty to create it in the first place,' said Clara slowly.

'Of course he would, dummy. And since it's the Temple of Love, he would have used hate to make the Curse. Since when did Venger love anything!'

_That's right, keep talking, _thought Eric._ More talking, less thinking: more talking, less thinking…_

The Barbarian looked confused.

'So, to break the Curse, we have to use the opposite of hate, which is love again? Right?'

Eric shrugged. He tried to remember Dungeonmaster's riddle from earlier. _Give something, wasn't it?_ It was too hard to remember anything but…

'Eric? Is that what we'll do?'

'I thinks it's less of a 'we', and more of a 'you',' mumbled the Cavalier. What was it he was trying to do again?

Family… 

There was a movement ahead of him, and a ethereal image of another dark haired boy appeared. The Cavalier stared intently at the vision in front of him.

The ghostly boy was standing with his hands on his hips, looking down at Eric with a playful smile.

_God! No! Please, please don't make me remember._

"Bet you can't keep up, Eric…" said the other boy. "You're too scared to play this kind of game!"

The Cavalier gave a little lurch and slipped to the ground.

There was no mud or mist, no Shield or armour, just a clear blue sky above an empty beach. Overhead, gulls hovered on the gusting wind.

"Come on, Eric! Stop being such a party-pooper! It'll be fun!"

Eric held up his hand and said:

'Oh ok, Michael…' 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Venger kept walking, retracing his steps to the entrance hall and freedom from the Temple.

But his progress was slow, every single step required a huge effort. And the sensations inside him weren't going away! These disgusting, human feelings: he couldn't stand! How did humans survive this onslaught of emotion?

The Arch-Mage pulled open another door, and looked round. The high, dark ceiling above told him that he had finally returned to the entrance hall. He was close to the outside, so close to escaping this awful place.

But the Dragon Estaria was waiting for him, right in front of the doorway. She smiled her Dragon smile, showing her shining white teeth to full, menacing effect. Venger felt rage boil inside him. That Dragon was laughing at him, laughing at his pain! How dare she!

'You found them?' she asked, the self-satisfaction in her voice was almost unbearable.

'What have you done?' he asked staggering towards her.

'Me?' hissed the dragon in surprise. 'I have no power in this hideous form! It is your own fault!'

'This is your Temple!' he shouted at her, 'It is your power! What have you done?'

Estaria snorted at him, sending a jet of foul-smelling steam out of her nostrils.

'I was not the one who Cursed this Temple, Devil!' she told him. 'Your Curse is too strong. You have been caught as well.'

'No, it is not true. It cannot be true!'

The Dragon smiled again, here eyes shinning with triumphant glee.

'The instant I saw them, I knew. They are perfect, the pair I have been waiting for. And I knew you would come and gloat. Perhaps this will teach you to meddle with something you do not understand!'

The Dragon bent her head down so that her snout almost touched his chest and looked him straight in the eye. Thin, sulphorous wisps of smoke rose slowly around him.

'He would have died for her, Venger,' she said gleefully. 'The Ranger was ready to sacrifice himself for the Thief, right here, in this hall.'

'No!' whispered the Arch-Mage.

'I suggest you find a way of undoing this Curse,' continued Estaria. 'Free the Temple, or suffer this torment for all time. Already the other children are suffocating under the weight of love. You will suffer the same, unless you free us all.'

'No, I will not set you free, you are trapped here!' said Venger desperately. 'No one can take your place. You can never leave!'

The Dragon looked triumphantly at her enemy.

'There is only one way this can end!'

'You are wrong, Dragon!' replied Venger, as ferociously as he could. He turned and lurched towards the door. Estaria watched silently as he staggered out and into the mist, aching to be free of the Temple's power.

But the feelings didn't go as he left the building. They were less strong, true, but they were still there. His breathing quickened as he felt true fear. The Dragon had been right, damn her! He was Cursed too!

Shadow Demon circled slowly around his Master in a smug air that just screamed "I told you so". The Arch-Mage desperately wanted to lash out, to banish his Slave with a flick of his hand, but he didn't. He felt sick, overwhelmed and contaminated by these horrible emotions, and now he couldn't even bring himself to kill.

To his left, he saw a flash of green, obvious against the mud. The Magician was still there and so was the Acrobat, both still enslaved by the Curse.

He felt pity for them now. He was amazed at himself, that he could remember how to feel pity, and even more that he could feel pity for his enemies. The young Magician, his love somewhere far away, hidden away forever, too powerful ever to show herself again. And the Acrobat, separated from her one true love by the vast oceans of death. The words of Dungeonmaster were cold comfort. No time would help her forget a love as powerful as that.

He watched them for a long while, wallowing in pity, with Shadow Demon ever hovering by his side. He had forgotten the power and persuasiveness of these emotions.

'Master?' whispered his Slave eventually. 'Master, what of the other young ones? The Barbarian, and the Cavalier?'

Yes, the two missing young ones, the young Barbarian, and the Cavalier. How had they managed to retain control? Perhaps they were still in the Temple, suffering…

'Master, look!' said Shadow Demon.

Slowly, the Arch-Mage turned, and saw his slave pointing to what they had missed before: two faint sets of muddy footprints, leading off in the direction of Amoran.

'So, for the moment they have overcome my Curse,' muttered Venger. 

The Barbarian was probably too young to understand, at least for the time being, but what about the Cavalier? Had he really lead such a loveless life as to be immune to the Curse?

Venger raised an eyebrow at Shadow Demon, who cowered on the ground. If those children could keep control, then so could he! The Barbarian was little more than an infant. A mere infant could not outdo him! He was Venger, who had lived a thousand lifetimes basking in evil and glory! No Curse could hold sway over his will, no matter how strong!

There had to be a way of freeing himself. He had created the Curse, he could find away of negating it.

And when he was free, he would return to the Temple and take his revenge on that Dragon!

================

The Barbarian waited, staring down at the Cavalier as he sat in the mud. The Shield had slipped out of his hand and was lying, forgotten, on the ground.

'Eric?' asked Bobby quietly. 'Eric, quit kiddin' around!'

The Cavalier didn't move, but sat there, hardly breathing with his eyes fixed on infinity.

Bobby didn't want to leave Eric there. OK, so he was a total jerk that teased him relentlessly, but there was a comforting reassurance about having someone older (and therefore more responsible) as company.

He looked round at Clara as she stood, almost knee deep in mud. She was watching the Cavalier.

'He's not going to wake up, is he?' she asked.

Bobby shrugged, some small part of him hoping that Eric was playing another prank.

'Well, he was right about one thing,' said Clara, looking around anxiously. 'We should go.'

Bobby nodded, and made as if to leave, expecting Eric to stand up and say 'Hey just kidding!' and come with them. But he didn't.

They walked off, following the footprints back to the Temple.

Nothing could compare to the strange, terrible feeling that engulfed Bobby as he moved away. Suddenly, it was up to him alone to save his friends. Yes, he'd done it before, when they had been trapped in that volcano prison of Venger's. He'd been given the amulet by Dungeonmaster, and Karox had helped. Karox had stood up to Venger and helped them all break free!

Now, if he failed, they would all die! And not just his friends, but also everyone in that City, as well.

The presence of Clara was cold comfort.

_Hold on a minute!_ thought Bobby. _She's not supposed to go too!_

'Wait a minute!' he said to Clara. 'Shiran told you to get us out of Amoran. You're not coming to the Temple too? Are you?'

Clara stared at him of a second or two, then said:

'Do you really think I would pass up the chance?'

'You want to go? You must be nuts!'

Clara smiled, and Bobby felt a small rush of pleasure. Apart from the fact that he had never felt less like being alone in his life, it was nice to see someone smile again.

'You are nuts!' said Bobby with feeling. 'That place, it's creepy!'

A shiver ran up his spine at the memory.

'I'm still going with you,' said Clara evenly.

'But why?'

'I've learned to be helpful,' she said with an awkward shrug. 'Amoran is a hard place to live. If you don't help out others, they won't help you. I learned very quickly that helping others was the only way to survive, and I needed a lot of help when I first arrived. Now Shiran lets me help out in his shop in exchange for some of his books, and I sing. The Mayor was trying to attract more customers.' She shook her head. 'I don't think it worked, though.'

Bobby was suspicious.

'That doesn't sound like a good reason to me!' he said firmly.

The young girl gave a mischievous smile.

'Oh, OK! That's not the real reason,' she replied. 'A Dragon lives in the Temple!'

Bobby blinked. Perhaps he was missing something. But perhaps not. Girls were weird, he'd learned that from his sister.

'I know all about Dragons!' said Clara confidently.

Bobby stared at her, confused.

'I read all about the Keeper in one of Shiran's books. I know how she was made. Shiran always let me read the ones about Dragons. Have you met many?'

'A few,' he said casually. 'We keep on meeting Tiamat!'

The girl's eyes grew as round as a full moon.

'Wow! What's she like?'

'Well, ya know, she's the size of a building, has five heads and a real bad temper. When we fought her…'

Clara gasped.

'You fought her! Wow!'

Bobby gave a proud smile, in spite of the strange despair inside.

'Yeah, ya know, a few times.'

Clara was speechless, and Bobby couldn't help a small laugh. She looked very funny with her mouth open like that.

'You never met one, then?' he asked nonchalantly, ready to bet his Club that she hadn't.

Clara gave a confused smile.

'Well, Shiran obviously. Does he count?'

It was Bobby's turn to leave his mouth hanging open. She didn't mean what he thought she mean, did she? That was just dumb!

'Shiran?'

She looked at him with her brow deeply furrow, as if he had said something confusing.

'He's a dragon! Didn't you guess?'

Bobby stared at her.

'How can he be a dragon? That's stupid!'

'No, really, he's a Steel Dragon.' She smiled widely. 'I know all about them! They love humans, and…'

'You're not making this up?' interrupted the Barbarian.

She drew a little X over her heart.

'Cross my heart, Bobby. He really is a dragon.'

'Weird!'

'Steel Dragons are really friendly,' she said excitedly. 'They often live in human form. But he never let on that he was a dragon, though. But I knew, it was all there.'

'Huh? How could you tell? Did he breathe fire, or something?'

'Well, you know, the trips away. The grey lock of hair. The look in his eyes.'

Bobby nodded, but was confused. Clara kept talking.

'Shiran could speak Dragon-language too. I heard him once talking to this cute little dragonet that was just tiny, the size of your hand!'

The Barbarian nodded again, letting her talk. He had never met anyone who liked Dragons quite as much as this. It was obviously her favourite subject. She started talking again, telling Bobby more about Steel Dragons and their habits, but he didn't try and change the subject. Hearing her talk made the wading easier and helped keep his mind off the Temple.

The Curse was still whispering in his mind. His hand strayed to Terri's heart-shaped pendant, and he pulled it surreptitiously out of his pocket, glad to feel its coolness again.

Bobby held it tightly, and imagined meeting Terri at school, eating burgers at his house, just hanging around with her. He missed her, though he would rather have died than admit it to the others. She gave him hope. Dungeonmaster had told him what she'd dreamed about, that last night they'd spent in the Maze. They were going home!

He could see her clearly even after all this time, down to the smile on her face as she had been pulled into the portal. It was clear now as the day it had happened.

But the Curse nagged away at him. What of Dungeonmaster had been wrong? What if it was all a lie? They were never going home, they would never get away from the Curse, nobody could.

So far, he managed to convince himself that Terri's vision was true. They would get home, and he would meet her again. But then a horrible thought had struck.

What about Sheila and the others? What if the vision was true, but the others didn't get home? What if they were trapped by the Temple?

A unpleasant, cold feeling crept into his stomach. What if this was it? What if he couldn't help them? He would fail!

He suddenly realised Clara had stopped talking and was watching him. He hastily stuffed the pendant back into his pocket.

'Are you crying?' she asked.

Anger had always the Barbarian's first, (last) and best line of defence. He glared at the girl beside him.

'Take that back!' he said harshly, raising his Club. 'I don't do mushy stuff!'

Clara stepped quickly away from him.

'Gee, sorry I spoke.'

The frightened look on her face reminded him of Terri, the day they'd found her in the forest. She was afraid of him. He quickly lowered his Club and gave a small smile.

'Hey, I'm sorry,' he said quietly. 'I didn't mean to sound like such a jerk. I just wanna get Sheila and the others, and go home.'

He bit is bottom lip. 'I'm , um, sorta not feeling like myself,' he said, feeling as stupid as Eric had sounded earlier. 'I think this Curse thing is making me go weird.'

Clara nodded and fell back into step with him.

'I feel kinda strange too,' she said. 'I can't stop thinking about…things I don't want to think about.' She gulped. 'Is that the Curse?'

'I guess so,' replied Bobby, swinging the Club back over his shoulder. 'Shiran said the Temple was getting stronger.'

Clara was silent for a short while as they struggled onwards through the mud, then asked:

'Do you think we'll break the Curse?'

Bobby thought of Terri, her Pendant and her visions. He got home: but did the others? He desperately tried to remember Dungeonmaster's riddles. Hank was usually the one who figured out the riddles.

'Dungeonmaster told us to 'give what must be given' or something,' he said. 'And that there was a way to our home in the Temple.'

'Great,' said Clara in a sullen tone. 'Home, that's all I need!'

The Barbarian's interest was piqued.

'Don't you wanna see you're Mom and Dad, and all your friends? Don't you want to go back home?'

Clara didn't smile and said:

'I like it here, thank you very much.'

There was a short, uncomfortable silence, as Bobby didn't know what to say. Finally, Clara asked:

'What about you? How long have you been in this world?'

'It seems like ages,' he said wistfully. 'We keep trying to find portals, but we never get through.'

It was not a thought he usually dwelt on, but Bobby realised just how much time they had spent in the Realm, and how many portals they'd missed, how many chances to get home. A new wave of anger washed over him. They shouldn't even be here.

'This last one was the worst,' said Bobby angrily. 'That dumb Cavalier should have Wished us back home. Then he goes and gets himself captured by the stupid Warlock, and we don't get to go through the portal!'

Suddenly, Bobby was unable to think of anything else. They could have been home ages ago if it wasn't for Eric! This was his fault! He was tired of missing chances, and tired of waiting. He wanted to go home now, to see his Mom and Dad, his house, and his friends. Eric had taken that chance away and now they were stuck with this dumb Curse. Stupid Cavalier! Some friend he was!

_Friendship is shown in many ways._

Dungeonmaster's words came back to him so unexpectedly that Bobby almost missed a step. It was almost as if their guide had whispered them in his ear.

Clara was looking at him.

'But I thought you liked Eric,' she said innocently. 'You and he came to Amoran together, you seemed to get on OK there.'

Bobby narrowed his eyes, suddenly suspicious of her. Did she know what he'd been thinking? Was it just a coincidence?

Clara noticed the scowl, and shrugged.

'Well, he did call you Michael,' she admitted. 'Maybe he isn't such a good friend.'

Bobby blinked in surprise. He'd been so caught up in the Curse and the thought of going home that he'd forgotten about that.

Yes,' said Bobby slowly. 'He called me Michael.'

The look of pain on the Cavalier's face when he'd said that name was awful, a look of emptiness and regret, and something unbearably sad.

'Who's Michael anyway?' asked Clara.

Bobby shrugged, uncomfortable with the question. For the first time in a very long while, Bobby got the strange feeling that there was a lot that the Cavalier never spoke about. For someone who talked about himself almost non-stop, what did they actually know about him?

'Oh, I suppose, Eric isn't all bad,' said Bobby with a sigh. 'One time, he agreed to marry an evil queen to save my life.'

The Barbarian heroically resisted the temptation to add that the lure of cold, hard cash had clinched the deal.

'What happened?' asked Clara eagerly.

So Bobby embarked on a long-winded telling of their adventures in Zinn, and Clara listened in rapt silence. After he had finished that, he went onto tell her about their trip to Merlin's Castle, how dragons had attacked Helix, and how Tiamat had chased Venger away.

It had been a long time since the Barbarian had though back to their adventures, and even longer since he had actually told them to someone else, and seen their expressions.

They had missed so many chances. And each one of them, had turned away from a portal home, at one time or another. Sheila had been right, it wasn't really fair to blame Eric, especially when he had even apologised for it! How often did that happen!

The Barbarian smiled a little more, surprised to find that he was suddenly eager to share their adventures. Clara seemed so keen on hearing about Tiamat that Bobby started to tell her about their trip to the Dragon's Graveyard.

He had just started describing their new, super-powered weapons when something made him stop mid sentence. He froze, in much the same way as Hank had earlier.

It was creepy. He knew they were back at the Temple, even without seeing it. How? Did it know, did it tell him? Shiran had said the Temple was a living thing. Could it talk?

He took a few small squelches forward, Clara following. Sure enough, the mist lifted, revealing the dark Temple right in front of them.

Clara gave a small, frightened cry. She looked up at the building slowly.

'Th-that's the Temple?' she whispered.

Bobby nodded. Talking had helped him forget the Curse for a while. But now, facing those black walls, he felt very afraid again.

Instinctively, he looked for Uni and the others. His unicorn was dull white against the mud, and he ran up to her, but she didn't stir as he gently patted her neck. Neither Presto or Diana moved when he spoke to them.

The Barbarian took a deep breath. He believed in Terri's vision, he believed he would see her again, just as Dungeonmaster said he would. But what about his friends? Would they becoming too? What if…

'How are we going to break the Curse?' whispered Clara, her voice shaking.

_What if…_

'Bobby...  BOBBY!'

The Barbarian swung round suddenly, his breathing quick and shallow. That was too close! In spite of the mud and the cold chill inside him, he could feel small drips of sweat on his forehead.

'We mustn't wait,' said Bobby, but he didn't move any closer to the Temple. What if he couldn't break the Curse? Would the others be trapped? Sheila…?

The thought of his sister finally made him move. He had to help her, after all, it was sorta his fault she was stuck in here anyway. If he hadn't got so annoyed when she hugged him, she wouldn't have run off. He hoped Hank would keep her safe.

But he had to get her out of that place.

Dungeonmaster had told them to break the Curse. And he would, they had never failed Dungeonmaster before.

Impulsively, and ignoring all thoughts of mushy stuff, he took Clara's hand and walked forward through the Temple's silver doors and back into the entrance hall.

They stood side by side, looking around, Clara still gripping his hand tightly. What surprised the Barbarian most was that nothing had changed. It was still lit by Presto's magic, it was still silent, and it was still grey.

The girl beside him was looking round slowly, here eyes wide in wonder.

'This must have been an amazing place!' she whispered. 'I've never seen anything like it! It would have been great to be here before the Curse, don't you think, Bobby?'

The Barbarian was very far from sharing her enthusiasm. _This was a dumb idea!_ he thought. _We don't even know how to break the Curse_.

'What do we do now?' asked Clara loudly. 'Do you think the Dragon is still here?'

Bobby glanced up. There was no movement, but he was sure the Dragon was watching them.

'I dunno,' he said. 'We should maybe find Sheila…'

The air around them stirred gently and the Barbarian looked up. There was a glint of red far above.

'Look out!' he said, pulling Clara backwards.

The giant Obsidian Dragon swooped gracefully down from the shadows, and landed on the floor in front of them.

Bobby watched it carefully. His first impulse was to squish it with his Club, but it made no move to attack, so he waited.

The Dragon finally spoke.

'My name is Estaria, once the Keeper of this Temple! Why do you disturb me again?' Her voice was rough, with an offended tone. Neither of the children spoke. Bobby had never been afraid to answer back to anyone until just then.

The Dragon seemed to take a great interest in Clara. It gazed at her, its snout twitching, and flicked its tail wildly back and forward. The young girl took an unsteady step back.

'You like my Temple!' the Dragon said suddenly. 'You must be from Amoran, and I think you must have learned its secret!'

Clara didn't reply, but stared up at the Dragon in awe.

Estaria lowered her head sadly.

'This was once a place of peace: a place to heal. This was my home, a place to give hope and forget the troubles of life. All good people would come to my door, needing help and my protection.'

The Dragon gave a sudden hiss, sweeping her wings back.

'But my power has GONE!' she bellowed 'The Curse is all! And my Temple has no Keeper! WHY do you come here? Answer now!'

Bobby gulped.

'We're here to break the Curse,' he mumbled

The Dragon gave a long subdued hiss. Perhaps it was laughing.

'But you are already tainted, Barbarian, so are your friends. They are all dying, Barbarian, and so are you. There is nothing YOU can do!'

Bobby's mouth was dry. Looking onto Estaria's eyes made him shiver, as they shone with inhuman anger. A wave of despair hit him. This was not going to work! He had no idea how to break the Curse, other than using love somehow. He wasn't going to help his friends this time. It was hopeless…

_You must hold on to hope to fulfill your dreams._

The Barbarian jumped as he remembered the words of Dungeonmaster. Of course, the Curse would still try and catch him! He was stupid to think otherwise. He couldn't give up! Not without a fight, at least! He tapped his Club lightly on the ground, making it glow with magic.

'We're here to break the Curse,' he repeated, louder this time.

The Dragon hissed again, the sound much more like a laugh than before.

'What will you do, Barbarian? What will you sacrifice?'

'I'll do anything to help my sister!'

Estaria stared at him, her head cocked to one side. The red eyes glowed.

'You truly wish to break the Curse, Barbarian?'

He let go of Clara's hand to grip his Club with both hands.

'Yeah!' he called out.

Thin spirals of smoke rose from the Dragon's mouth as she watched him.

'Are you strong enough, Barbarian?' she hissed. 'Is your love for your sister strong enough?'

'Yeah!' called Bobby again, more loudly this time. 'Yeah, it is!'

The Dragon held out a front paw.

'Then give me your Club!'

Bobby hesitated. He didn't want to! Standing in a Temple, with a Dragon that had almost eaten his sister… Giving your weapon away was a dumb idea! Not even Eric would be dumb enough to do that!

His heart beat faster, then he remembered Dungeonmaster's words: _You must give what must be given._

He gulped. Was this what their guide had meant?

_It had better be!_ he thought.

Slowly, Bobby leaned forward and placed the Club in the Dragon's claw. What could he do without his Club? He closed his eyes briefly, hoping that he was right about the riddle.

Estaria closed he paw slowly, and there was the sound of splintering wood. Bobby shuddered, and opened his eyes slowly, afraid of what he would see. When the Dragon opened her paw again, all that was left of his Club were a few small sticks. She let them fall to the ground.

'Do you still think you're strong enough?' the Dragon asked, contemptuously. 'You have no weapon, you are defenceless! I could crush you in a heartbeat!'

Bobby clenched both fists, close to tears. He'd lost the Club. Even Dungeonmaster couldn't repair it this time! He was shaking.

'Do you still wish to break the Curse?' asked the Dragon.

For a few seconds, Bobby's mouth wouldn't move. But he finally managed to get a single word out.

'Yeah!'

It wasn't said as confidently or as loudly as before. But he had said it!

The Dragon stretched out her paw once more, the tip of the largest silver talon just millimetres away from his nose.

'Then give me the Pendant!'

Bobby's breath catch in his throat. NO! He would never give that up. It was his good luck charm, his hope for getting home. He was going to return it to Terri, she had seen him do it, she had dreamed it. He would never give that up!

'Give it to me!' demanded the Dragon. 'Prove your commitment, prove to me you are strong enough to defeat the Curse!'

He didn't move.

'Ha!' said the Dragon triumphantly. 'Is it really so hard to give up one small piece of jewellery! You are weak, Barbarian!'

Bobby's head was spinning. He knew what Dungeonmaster had told them. _Give what must be given._ But it was too hard. This was his most powerful link to home, he knew that someday he would give it back to Terri. How could that happen if he gave it away now?

And yet… they would not be going home if the Curse remained unbroken. Is this what he had to do? He wished Hank or Sheila were here to help him, someone to guide him, someone more responsible.

He took a long, deep breath.

He was alone. His sister and the others needed him to break the Curse. He had Dungeonmaster's riddle to guide him, and Dungeonmaster had never been wrong.

The Barbarian closed his eyes and pulled the Pendant out of his pocket once more, looking at it one more time. Estaria gave a soft growl as he hooked its chain over her claw.

He watched as the Pendant glowed one more time. Little rivulets of molten gold flowed down the Dragon's silver claw. Then the Pendant was gone.

The Dragon blew a thick cloud of smoke out of her nose. Bobby and Clara both coughed.

Bobby gazed numbly at the Dragon, hardly listening.

'You have earned a choice with your courage,' Estaria said. 'Either you and your friends go home, or this girl can.'

Bobby's heart almost leaped out of his chest. It was thudding so loudly that he almost couldn't think. They could go home, right now.

Clara stared at the Dragon.

'But I don't…' she started.

The Dragon hissed at her, and the girl fell silent.

Bobby mind was spinning. They could go home, right now! How could he choose anything else? But then, he thought of Dungeonmaster's words. _You must give what must be given. Nothing is harder than a selfless sacrifice_. Those riddles! 

'Choose, Barbarian! You can go home, your unicorn will be safely returned to the Valley. You will all be safe.'

But what about Clara, and the Temple and the people of Amoran? Would they survive? Would they be OK? He couldn't take that risk.

'The Curse?' he asked. 'The city? What about…?'

'Enough, Barbarian!' the Dragon shouted.  'CHOOSE!'

_Home! _He would be free of the Curse, his friends would be safe, but the words didn't want to come out. This is what he had wanted, but…

'She …can go!' he managed to say.

The Dragon Estaria lowered her head slowly then nodded.

'The Dungeonmaster was wise to send you here,' she whispered, her forked tongue flicking out.

'You, girl!' said the Dragon. 'Are you ready to go home?'

Bobby watched as Clara stared mutely up at the Dragon. They stared at each other for an age, neither moving, as if having a private conversation that only they could understand.

A suspicious, nagging doubt slowly began to form in Bobby's mind. This couldn't be right? What had this to do with breaking the Curse? What had this to do with love?

Then suddenly, with a lightning movement, the Dragon shot forward, her long jaws open. She scooped Clara up with a single bite.

Bobby didn't even have time to call out.

One bite and one gulp, and the young girl was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The castle echoed with Venger's cries of anger and frustration. Nothing dared to go up to the tower, not even Shadow Demon had the courage to stay when the Arch-Mage was in this mood.

LOVE!

Such a meaningless and trivial emotion, how could it cause so much trouble?

Venger screamed out in frustration once again. He was failing! Everything he tried failed. There was no antidote to be found, his perfect Curse, his beautiful Curse was too finely crafted. This Curse would suck the life out of him. Once caught, there was no escape. How could this happen?

'Damn you, Dragon!' he shouted. The thin glass of the windows shook at the sound of his voice.

His hatred for the Ranger burned above the deep pain from the Curse. It was no comfort that the Ranger and his Thief were doomed as well.

Finally, the Arch-Mage slumped down on his throne. The excruciating waves of emotion were reaching him even here, in the heart of his empire! He sat with his arms limp, and his hands resting upturned beside him on the throne, struggling against the unpredictable surges of regret.

Time was running out and it would be foolish not to recognise the obvious. Estaria was correct, there was only one way to deal with this situation. With the Dragon gone, the Curse would be less powerful, less persuasive and weak enough for him to break free. Damn that Dragon! He should have killed her when he'd had the chance. And damn that Ranger too!

But now the decision was made, it was foolish to delay. He summoned the Nightmare, and mounted, his heart growing heavier at the though of returning to the Temple, the source of his pain.

'Take me to the Temple!' he growled in its ear.

The sooner this was done, the better. Then he could turn his thoughts to revenge.

_Once I am free_, he though, _I must find a way of punishing the children!_

Venger gave a grim smile. Even if he had to go and pull the Ranger out of there himself, he would make them pay!

He urged his dark steed faster.

==============

'NOOOOOO!' shouted the Barbarian.

Thoughts of Sheila were gone, thoughts of the Curse were gone. His mind was filled with anger. That lyin', cheatin' Dragon! It had eaten Clara! It had swallowed her whole!

He hadn't given up his Club, Terri's Pendant, just so the Dragon could have lunch!

'No one eats my friends and gets away with it!' he bellowed.

His anger was overpowering. And this time there were no older sisters around to try and control him. He stood for a second, wondering how he could hurt the Dragon.

It had to PAY!

The Dragon stood there above him, unmoving, its eyes closed, almost as if it wanted him to attack. But he didn't have his Club! He looked around for a weapon, but there was nothing in the hall that he could use. The rage was building, he had to hurt that creature, not matter how.

Bobby ran up to it, small arms flailing, hitting the scaly legs with as much force as he could. The Dragon didn't even notice.

He gave a low, guttural scream of frustration, punching Estaria again. She still didn't move. His hands were sore and bleeding, and the heat from the scales was burning his fists, but he didn't stop.

Bobby lashed out at the Dragon again and again, until he could barely lift his arms. Then, slowly, he slid down to the floor, exhausted. Tears of disappointment and rage ran down his face.

Clara was gone, the Curse was still active, he'd lost his Pendant and the Club, and he hadn't been able to save Sheila or his friends. He had been wrong about Dungeonmaster's riddle! Hank would never have got it wrong.

Bobby gave a miserable sob. _He had failed._

The sound of footsteps behind him cut through his despair. Bobby turned, desperately hoping to see one of his friends, perhaps Hank, or even Eric.

The sight almost made him choke, and he stared with a mix of fear and anguish. This was as bad as things could get.

It was Venger!

For a few moments, Bobby braced himself for the worst. He had no Club and he had no hope of escape. But where would he go anyway?

Estaria had noticed the newcomer too. For the first time in many minutes she moved, as if she was waking from a heavy sleep.

The Arch-Mage stood there, black wings half-closed and his head bowed down, and he didn't notice the Barbarian crouched on the floor under the Dragon. Bobby frowned. The Arch-Mage didn't look so good.

With a careless flick of her paw, Estaria sent the Barbarian skittering backwards across the floor, so there was nothing between her and Venger. Bobby hit the far wall with a clunk that knocked his Viking helmet askew.

Venger straightened, looking up to Estaria with a look that could have killed.

'So your cage was not strong enough,' he said quietly. 'This Dragon form was not sufficient. But I will still destroy you! And you have no one willing to take your place!'

The Dragon didn't reply. She merely stood, watching.

'I will not break my Curse, Dragon!' continued Venger. 'But I will ensure that you are unable to control my fate! With you gone, I can and will be FREE!'

This time Estaria did move. She turned to face the Arch-Mage, flexing her claws and let out a long, low growl.

'You should not meddle with the Power of Love!' she said sternly, her voice echoing around the hall. 'It is far greater than you can ever understand!'

Venger shook his head and raised his hands, fireballs forming at his fingertips.

'I should have done this long ago, Estaria! It was a moment of weakness. I should never have let you live.'

The fireball struck Estaria on the chest, the magic fires racing up her sides and wings. The Dragon reared back once more, her black figure contrasting with the scarlet flames. There was a soft hiss as the magic fizzed around her. She stood still, as the flames rose round her. Venger looked on, his expression pitiless.

From his vantage point against the wall, Bobby watched with a mix of fear and anger. He had wanted to be the one who had defeated the Dragon. It had eaten one of his friends!

But what did it matter, now?

His Club was gone, the Pendant was gone and he had no way to break the Curse, even if he could defeat Venger. The Arch-Mage would kill them all, probably. Or worse, just leave them to be eaten by the Curse…

Bobby shuddered, tears running down his cheeks. What a way to go. He had never believed that they would die in the Realm. He had wanted to go home, to see him family, to see Terri. This was not how it was supposed to end.

He watched as the flames rose round the Dragon's head, and the huge black body, started to crumble. A movement caught his attention, close to the ground. Something was moving!

The Barbarian pushed himself up, holding the wall for support, his mouth wide open. A small figure was walked out of the flames, the Dragon's body crumbled around it.

There was a gurgling gasp from Venger, but Bobby didn't turn round, he kept staring at the figure. Light shimmered around the human in the flames, and Bobby had to squint to make out any features. It was a young girl.

Bobby blinked, then blinked again and rubbed his eyes.

It was Clara!

He blinked once more, but it was still Clara, standing out more clearly as the flames died down around her. She was wearing long, purple robes that swished behind her like a river. In her hand she held a short, black Sceptre in the shape of a striking dragon, with bright rubies for eyes. She turned away from Bobby, towards the Arch-mage. Bobby followed the gaze, far surprised to do much else. Venger's face was contorted with anger and fear.

'This cannot be!' he said unsteadily. 'You cannot…You must not…NO!'

The young girl lifted the Sceptre and said loudly:

'Behold: the Temple of Love!'

The instant the last word had left her lips the Sceptre blazed with light that seared into the back of Bobby's eyes, and a pulse of magic swept out like a lazy flash of lightning.

The building began to shake.

The magic swept forward in a shimmering wall, engulfing Venger first, who cried out in impotent fury. The Arch-Mage thrashed around, but was unable to free himself from the magic's grip. He let out a long, pain-filled howl.

Bobby braced himself as the magic moved towards him, unsure what to expect. It curled gently round him like a blanket, as cosy as a freshly made bed. He smiled in surprise, letting the magic sooth him. The pain in his hands lifted, the worry and the fear faded. It was going to be OK!

His eyes closed as he relaxed. _It was going to be OK…_

The Barbarian had no idea how long he stood there, basking in the refreshing power of the magic. But eventually the floor trembled one last time then everything was still.

Bobby opened his eyes and looked around in amazement.

Light flooded in from the windows. The walls were brightly coloured in reds, blues and greens, a riot of chaotic colours that hurt his head after all that grey. Above him the walls stretched up, the colours weaving in and out, all the way to a painfully white ceiling high above. As he drew breath, he could smell the clean, fresh scent of newly cut grass on a spring afternoon.

Clara was standing in front of him. The Sceptre in her hand seemed to be winking at him.

She turned to Venger and pointed.

'Leave this place!' she said, her voice full of authority. 'This Temple it MY home now.'

The Arch-Mage tried to move forward, but he couldn't. He tried to cast a spell, but nothing happened. He glared at the two children.

'You are in a place where evil fears to dwell!' said Clara sternly. 'Leave!'

For a moment, Venger hesitated. Then he turned regally and marched out of the door.

She turned back to the Barbarian and smiled, a smile he remembered from the City of Amoran, the first time they'd met.

'I thought you were goin' home!' he said finally.

'She is home, Barbarian,' said a familiar voice beside him. 'The Temple is her home now.'

'Dungeonmaster!'

'Greetings Barbarian.' He turned and bowed to the girl. 'And greetings to you, Clara-Estaria.'

The girl bowed back to Dungeonmaster, much to Bobby's surprise. She looked to Bobby.

'I am the Keeper of the Temple, Barbarian.'

'But the Dragon?' asked Bobby in confusion, looking from one person to the other. 'What's happened?'

'The Dragon has gone,' said Dungeonmaster with a sigh. 'Her long wait for a replacement has ended and she is at peace. The Temple can once more become a place of joy and happiness.'

Dungeonmaster placed a hand on Bobby's shoulder.

'You have done well, young Barbarian. Because of your sacrifices, this Temple is cleansed. No more unfortunate travellers will be caught here and the City of Amoran can thrive and grow once more.'

'But…' started Bobby. There were so many questions, which one should he ask first. His brain seemed to jam up and instead he just stood there, looking confused.

Dungeonmaster didn't seem to notice. He sighed sadly.

'But she has gone, once and for all.'

The old man smiled reassuringly at the new Keeper.

'The Temple has been cleansed,' he said. 'That is all that matters now.'

'But you were eaten!' blurted out Bobby. 'I definitely saw you bein' eaten!'

The new Keeper gave a grin.

'I guess Estaria thought that was the best way to start the transformation. She still wasn't free, then. Only Venger could have released her.'

The girl looked at Dungeonmaster, who continued.

'And once Venger tried to destroy the Dragon, the Exchange of Authority could occur.'

'Did you know what was gonna happen?' Bobby asked Clara.

'The Dragon did tell me,' said Clara. 'She looked me in the eye, then asked.'

'And…' prompted the Barbarian.

'And I said 'yes', silly!'

'But how?' asked Bobby, with a whine worthy of Eric.

'The Keeper was trapped until someone came to take her place,' said Dungeonmaster. 'Clara-Estaria has done that. When the Temple had a new Keeper, with the full Keeper's powers, she was able to break to Curse, once and for all.'

'But you told us to break the Curse!'

The old man smiled at Bobby.

'No, Barbarian. I told you to find a curse-breaker in Amoran, and you did. You brought someone willing to take the reigns of power in the Temple, someone strong enough to control the magic.'

'Oh, that reminds me!' said Clara with a start. 'These are yours, Barbarian, along with my grateful thanks.'

Her hands glowed and then Bobby gave a whoop of joy. His Club was back in his hand and he gave it an experimental swing. In his other hand was Terri's Pendant. He looked first at Dungeonmaster, then back to the new Keeper, confused.

'The magic within in the Club and the Pendant was enough to power our transformation,' she said. 'What we borrowed, I have returned.'

He looked at the Pendant, filled with relief. He still had the chance to get home.

There was a sudden scuffing noise from the door, and Bobby glanced up.

'Diana! Presto!' he shouted. 'UNI!'

The Barbarian ran forward, engulfing his unicorn in a huge hug. Then he stood up and hugged both the Magician and the Acrobat in turn. Both were looking at the interior of the Temple with similar expressions of astonishment.

'I thought I'd never see you guys again!' said the Barbarian.

Uni scampered energetically around him, getting mud all over the floor. As Clara and Dungeonmaster approached Uni turned and sniffed Clara, then nuzzled against her leg, begging to be petted.

The two newcomers looked at Clara and Dungeonmaster in surprise.  
'I think we missed all the fun, Presto!' said Diana lightly. She looked like she had spent the night in a dustbin. Her eyes were red, and she was covered in mud, but she was smiling. The Magician nodded in agreement. He didn't look much better.

'Dungeonmaster! What's going on?' asked Presto. 'What did we miss?'

'I think the Barbarian would be better at explaining than me,' said Dungeonmaster modestly.

But Bobby was suddenly distracted by another thought.

'Where's my sister?' asked Bobby, starting towards one of the other doors. 'We've gotta find her! Where's Sheila?'

'Yeah,' said Diana, 'and where's Hank?'

Dungeonmaster just smiled.

==============

Oddly, it took a few second to realise what he was doing.

It felt like a beautiful dream. His mind was filled with a whirl of emotions and desires, and all he wanted to do was keep kissing this wonderful, beautiful girl for the rest of eternity.

_Kissing?_

He was kissing someone?

He was kissing…

Then it struck him.

He was kissing Sheila!

He was really kissing Sheila!__

The familiar doubts reappeared instantly. He shouldn't, he mustn't, not while they were stuck in the Realm, it was too much of a risk, it was too dangerous.

This had to stop.

He pulled away from her brusquely, and the spell was broken. They stared at each other, his face burning as red as Sheila's. And she watched every move he made with those cat-green eyes.

Nothing in the Realm, before or after, ever compared to the acute discomfort of those next few seconds.

He swore at himself, anger replacing the guilt and embarrassment. He had taken advantage of her, he had let his guard down. How could he have been so stupid!

Before she could speak, before she could tell him how disappointed she was, or how uncomfortable, or anything like that, he jumped up from the floor. Instinctively, he grabbed his Bow as he stood.

She just looked back up at him, the Cloak now clutched to her chest. Were those tears in her eyes? Is this what he had brought her too?

He turned away from her gaze, to ashamed to look her in the face. How could he have been so weak? How could he have taken advantage of her in such an underhand way? He had pictured them together so many times before, but never like this. Had he forced himself on her, when she was at her most vulnerable? What a jerk he was, and worse…

Thankfully, something green by the doorway attracted the Ranger's attention.

'Hey, look!' he said, trying to sound casual. 'It's Presto's Hat!'

He rushed forward and picked up the Hat. Beside it was the Javelin. He lifted that too.

'Look at these! I wonder how they got here?'

Sheila was looking at him, her eyes wide. He gulped, unable to return her stare, guilt washing through him again. This was awful.

'We'd better find the others,' he muttered, looking at the floor.

Slowly, Sheila pulled her Cloak round her neck once again. Her face was still flushed, and she kept looking up at him. She hadn't said a word.

He let her precede him through the door, out into the halls. He looked at the vibrant colours intently, anything to keep him from looking at the Thief.

Neither spoke as they walked through the rooms and, somehow, they both knew where they were going. The Temple seemed so different, apart from the colour change. It was obvious that the Curse had been broken, but how? And what had happened to the rest of the gang?

These thoughts almost kept his mind of Sheila while they retraced their steps back to the entrance hall.

Finally they opened the last door, and reappeared in the entrance hall, only recognisable as such by the open door to the outside. The others were there.

The Thief went through first. The Ranger stood behind her as Bobby ran up, engulfing her in a huge hug that almost knocked her over. Hank smiled weakly at the others; Diana and Presto, Dungeonmaster and a girl in purple robes that he didn't recognise.

'You're OK, sis!' exclaimed Bobby, overjoyed and not letting go.

Sheila tried to nod.

'I'm sorry I was mean to you,' said the Barbarian meekly. Sheila just hugged him more tightly.

'I'm fine,' she replied, 'I'm so pleased to see you!'

The relief in her voice was painful to hear, so Hank quickly moved away from her.

He handed the Hat and the Javelin back to their owners.

'Hey, thanks Hank!' said Presto. 'Where'd you find it?'

Hank gave a noncommittal shrug.

'It was inside the Temple, just lying around.'

'Weird!' said Presto. 'Wonder how it got there!' He gave Hank another smile. 'I shoulda' known you would find it!'

Dungeonmaster walked slowly up to the Ranger and the others. He looked up at them happily with a proud, paternal look on his face.

'You have all done well, my young pupils. Each one of you helped break the Curse and restore the balance. Each one of you suffered the burden of you memories, and the trial of your love, and now your sacrifice has been rewarded.'

He waved his hand round at the glorious Temple.

'Do you see what you have helped to create?' he asked. 'This Temple will stand for thousands of years, its power giving hope to the Realm, thanks to you!'

The kids looked round at each other, with wide smiles.

Hank frowned as he listened to Dungeonmaster talk. _Suffered the burden of your memories?_ His friends had all suffered, while he was making out with Sheila? While he had been gratifying his carnal desires, the others had suffered?

He looked at Diana and Presto carefully. Both looked as if they had spent the previous few hours crying. The red eyes, the streaks through the mud on their faces, Bobby as well, and his hands were red with small cuts on them across the knuckles.

The Ranger felt his stomach knot. What had happened while he was away?

They had to get away from this awful place.

He was about to say something when Dungeonmaster spoke instead.

'Young Pupils, not all of you have met the new Keeper of this Temple.' He smiled proudly up at the girl beside him. 'This is Clara-Estaria, the Keeper of the Temple of Love.'

Clara bowed at them.

'Thank you all for your help,' she said with a smile.

Hank couldn't suppress a small shudder, unable to stand being thanked, (yes thanked!) for taking advantage of Sheila and for leaving his friends to suffer! The desire to leave increased.

'Glad we could help,' he forced himself to say, with an empty smile. 'We should get going. There's a long way to go before nightfall.'

The others all looked crestfallen, particularly Diana and Presto. Even Uni looked plaintively up at him.

'Aw, Hank!' said Bobby. 'Do we HAVE to go right now?'

'You are welcome to stay for the night, young ones,' said Clara. 'Stay and enjoy rest as my guests.'

The others looked hopeful, but Hank replied:

'No, thank you. I think we have spent enough time here. We should go.'

Both Diana and Presto gave audible sighs.

'C'mon Hank,' said Diana, 'How often are we offered free lodgings! And there's no mud! We all need baths too!'

Hank hesitated. There was nothing in the world he wanted more than to leave right now, mud or no mud. He could hardly stand to be in the Temple any longer, it made his skin crawl.

'We shouldn't stay,' he said cautiously. All the other kids signed with obvious disappointment. Hank closed his eyes, and sighed inwardly. They all wanted to stay so badly. Perhaps they deserved a rest. Dungeonmaster said they suffered. It was selfish of him to drag them away.

Presto and Diana certainly looked rough, red eyes, muddy clothes and tear-streaked faces.  Who knows what they had gone through to break the Curse while he and Sheila were…

'Oh!' he said abruptly, deliberately breaking his train of thought. 'Oh, OK then guys, I guess we can stay for one night!'

Everyone cheered. Uni gave a high-pitched bray of excitement.

'Whoopee!' bellowed Bobby, waving his Club around dangerously. 'Baths and food, and beds! No camping! No berries!'

'Hey,' said Presto suddenly, looking around. 'Where's Eric!'

Hank looked round. Sure enough, Eric was missing. _That's just typical!_ thought Hank.

'The Cavalier will join us shortly,' said Dungeonmaster. 'He is walking back to the Temple at this very moment.'

'Where is he?' asked Diana. 'Trust Eric to miss the fun too, and the suffering!'

'No, Acrobat, you have all suffered,' admonished Dungeonmaster gently. 'Some more than others, that is all.'

Diana gave an angry huff.

'But couldn't you just bring him here,' asked Presto. 'You know, teleport or something? Maybe I should try.'

He reached for his Hat.

'No, Magician,' said Dungeonmaster firmly. 'The Cavalier will return when he is ready.'

'Yeah, don't!' said Diana, 'Eric obviously needs the exercise!'

The others sniggered, but a nasty, cold feeling struck Hank. All this talk of suffering and memories made him feel unsettled. There was always the possibility that Eric had remembered about THAT. The Cavalier never talked about it, but he would still remember, wouldn't he?

Hank stopped himself. Death was not a subject he wanted to think about at the moment. None of the others knew, as he had only told Sheila, but she was just concerned with Bobby.

The Ranger watched at the Thief smile and hug her brother again. Every time he looked at her he felt guilt, and embarrassment. But that was as far as it went. And he suddenly realised what was different: something was missing.

He had liked her from the first instant they'd met, years ago. And earlier today her had been prepared to die for her.

When they were together in the Temple, he had felt something pure, something perfect. It was the most intimate and innocent emotion he could imagine. Each time her saw her he was reminded of what they had shared, and they could never be there again. And every time he looked, he just felt numb. It was gone. There was nothing, no feelings at all, as if his emotions had been burned out of him. A sacrifice: that's what Dungeonmaster had said.

He had been willing to give anything for her: Had he given up their love?

The others were all smiles and happiness, and talked excitedly about what had happened. Bobby was telling them what had happened, how he and Eric had gone to Amoran, sparing no detail.

Hank wasn't listening properly. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he couldn't keep him mind off Sheila and their kiss. The Barbarian was obviously enjoying all the attention, and didn't let any of the others get a word in edgeways. The Keeper suddenly held up her Sceptre.

'Perhaps we would be more comfortable in one of the other chambers,' said Clara loudly, interrupting Bobby as he was demonstrating how he had been wading through the mud outside.

They looked at Hank, and he nodded. The Keeper moved towards one of the doorways, and the others followed, with Bobby starting his story again.

'Are you going to…' started Hank, looking for their guide. But Dungeonmaster had gone. He sighed. 'I guess not then!' and turned to followed the others.

Clara led them through the maze of corridors, the Barbarian talking all the while. The others were smiling and joking once again, listening eagerly to Bobby's story.

They stopped in a small anteroom and slumped into the chairs that were there. As the Barbarian continued his story, Hank could help thinking about the Thief again, getting more and more frustrated. Reliving the event was not helping anyone. It would be better to forget, and hope Sheila did the same. He couldn't keep doing…

'Hey,' interrupted a familiar voice behind them, 'nice of you to wait for me, guys! My feet are killing me!'

'Eric!' they all exclaimed, looking back to the door.

'Good job you guys left a trail of mud for me to follow, or I'd never have found you in this place!'

The Cavalier gave a tired smile. He was a lot muddier than Hank remembered, and looking very tired.

'Better late than never, huh!'

Bobby rushed up to him, and much to everyone's surprise gave the Cavalier a big hug. Eric looked happily down at the Barbarian.

'You seemed to do OK, Squirt!'

Bobby gave Eric a proud smile.

'It was neat, Eric!' said the Barbarian. 'We broke the Curse! The Dragon ate Clara and then she changed into the Keeper!'

The Cavalier walked up to Clara, looking in surprise at her robes and the Sceptre.

'That's a nice Sceptre you've found,' he said. 'I think I saw one of those in Tiffany's once!'

'Er-ic!' said Bobby.

The Cavalier looked round at the disapproving faces of his friends.

'What!' he said innocently.

'Oh, ignore him!' said Diana. 'C'mon Bobby, tell us more!'

The Barbarian was more than willing to oblige, and eagerly started talking again. Eric didn't say much, not even to tease Bobby when the opportunity arose. The Cavalier joined in the party atmosphere, but with less enthusiasm than the others. And it was obvious to Hank that Eric didn't want to stay either.

That was surprising. Was this the same Cavalier that had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, from a soft bed and a free meal? And there was something else, the mournful way Eric that looked at Sheila and her brother that made him very uneasy.

But he didn't dwell on it for long. At every available opportunity, the Ranger's mind went back to the kiss. He couldn't help it, it was almost as if he couldn't think of anything else while he was in the Temple. Not even his friends could free his mind. And every time he though it was over, he would catch a glimpse of red hair or lilac Cloak, and he would start to think about it all over again.

Hank barely noticed as the new Keeper guided them to separate rooms, and showed them their beds. He didn't care about baths or mud or clean clothes. He didn't even watch were he was going, the wonders of the Temple left him cold. Not even the promise of food helped clear his mind.

The kiss was all he could think about. He was willing to sacrifice himself for her, he would have done anything for her. But he had sacrificed their love. How could they ever go back to what they'd had bef…

'Hank?'

The Ranger jumped at the sound of Bobby's voice, and looked round in confusion. He was sitting in a big, brightly-lit feasting hall at a long table. Diana and Sheila were whispering together by the huge fireplace at the far end, Eric nearby, staring off into space. Presto and Clara were standing talking by one of the doors.

'Hank!' repeated Bobby. At his side Uni gave an inquisitive whine.

The Ranger looked at the Barbarian questioningly, too disorientated to speak.

'Hey, Hank, you OK? You haven't said anything for ages.'

The Ranger nodded, with as much of a smile as he could find.

Bobby paused, looking uncomfortable. Hank knew he was being selfish, he couldn't sit and brood, the others needed him. Standing up, he gave the young boy a big, proper smile.

'Bobby,' he said. 'You know, I'm really proud of you!'

The Barbarian blushed, but it was obvious that he had been dying for some praise from the Ranger.

'Aw, it was easy,' he said, swinging his Club over his shoulder. Uni scampered happily off towards Sheila. _Could they go back to how it was before?_

Bobby turned to look across the room, but he didn't look at his sister, he looked at Eric. Hank braced himself, fearing another outburst of temper directed at the unfortunate Cavalier.

'How long have you known Eric?' asked Bobby, out of the blue.

Hank frowned, with a nasty feeling in his heart. There was something in Bobby's tone that made him nervous. For the first time in hours he focused on someone other than Sheila. He might not want to think about the kiss, but that didn't mean he wanted to gossip about Eric either.

And what could he say anyway? That the Cavalier's brother had been swept out to sea and drowned as Eric watched, injured and helpless, from the shoreline? How was Bobby going to react to THAT piece of joyful information!

The Barbarian was waiting for an answer. The Ranger caught his breath abruptly and shivered. _Please let it be something else, please._

'Why do you ask?' he said carefully.

Bobby lowered his voice, and asked the question that Hank dreaded.

'Who's Michael?'

FINIS

====================

Next: Only Heroes Make it Home.

During the search for the Rainbow Orchid, the kids meet another group of adventurers also searching for a way home. Can they cooperate for long enough to use the Orchid? Venger has a plan to ensure they don't!

Author Notes:

1/ On other people's work.

This story was initially thought up while I was reading Zak's 'All's Fair in Love and War.' It has changed a great deal since then, but it was still the first spark, so thanks to her. Also from that story was the idea that Venger torches forests and defenceless villages when he's bored. Oooo, he is just so evil!

The title, a lot of the imagery, and some of the actual lines, are from the song 'Temple of Love' by the Sisters of Mercy.

Eric's surname was originally thought up by Victoria Bishop, (But I can't remember which story).

Shiran's Steel-Dragon habits are from the D&D monster guide, which is a great source of all sorts of stuff for the kids to stumble upon! I was very impressed with the idea of a Steel Dragon liking humans so much that it lived with them. It was just too good an idea to pass up! (And it is Dungeons and DRAGONS after all!)

I also know of the D&D 'theory' of dragon types, but none of them fitted what was needed for the Keeper of the Temple, so I made one up. I suppose the Obsidian Dragon would be technically be a Gem Dragon, which are neutral.

Sometime in the '80s the production company of the D&D Cartoon made some adventure game-books to tie into the Cartoon. One of them had a brother for Eric, called Michael, so I borrowed the name. I don't know what happened in the game-books, but I think it's safe to say that it was nothing like what is implied in this story.

2/ On Any Other Competent Business.

I know this isn't the place, but I have to say I really, really hate spy-ware and I am sick of Explorer crashing because of it. There.

That last one isn't so relevant now, but I still really, really hate spy-ware, especially when you have to reinstall Windows because it's corrupted your hard drive.

I hadn't realised there were so many Hank/Sheila shippers out there! I might not have started this story if I'd known…

3/ On Grateful Thanks

Much lovely, succulent, concentrated and profound thanks goes to EVERYONE who has stuck with this right to the end. Extra special thanks goes to those thoughtful enough to review (and keep reviewing) this story. Every single review has helped!


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